Do you think Mirage will sell as much as Versa?

High oil prices sell economic cars and recession (which according to some we are heading to) sells cheap cars.

Mirage is both cheap and frugal, but will it ever sell as good as Versa?

Last year segment sale numbers:
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2016/01...r-end.html?m=1

Subcompact 2015 2014 %Change
Chevrolet Sonic 64,775 93,518 -30.7%
Ford Fiesta 64,458 63,192 2.0%
Honda Fit 52,724 59,340 -11.1%
Hyundai Accent 61,486 63,309 -2.9%
Kia Rio 23,742 35,933 -33.9%
Nissan Versa 144,528 139,781 3.4%

City Car 2015 2014 %Change
Chevrolet Spark 32,853 39,159 -16.1%
Mitsubishi Mirage 21,515 16,708 28.8%
Smart Fortwo 7484 10,453 -28.4%

The Versa is a different car than the Mirage, when you think about it. It is larger, roomier, a bit more powerful, etc...it just happens to cost about the same in base, base trim. As such, I think it just appeals to a wider audience.

If the Mirage is the equivalent of a 1995 Metro, then the Versa is probably like the 1995 Tercel. A small hatchback and a slightly larger sedan don't compare directly. Things will get much more interesting when the Mirage G4 comes out!

I'd say no. Its just simply the brand name of the car. Mitsubishi, Izusu, and Suzuki will never get up to the sales of Honda, Toyota, Hyundai becuase they are simply less known. I've ran into some of my sister-in-law's family and to my surprise none of them heard of Mitsubishi before.

Will it sell 120,000 more than it is now? Never. The versa gets anywhere from decent to bad reviews, the mirage get horrible reviews by everyone except the owners and that will affect sales. It will be a mid market player at best. Which is a shame, because it has a lot of good things going for it. I am personally very happy with mine and strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a strong value play.

I think it would IF (see the big if):

1) they dropped the price below the Versa base
2) they had more dealers

Until they do those two things, they don't have a chance of selling 144k a year.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cyclopathic

Mirage is both cheap and frugal, but will it ever sell as good as Versa?

---

Did you mean to ask will the Mirage sedan sell as well as the Versa sedan? Because it's the Versa sedan that makes up most of their remarkable sales numbers.

One thing the Versa has in common with Mirage: typical enthusiast auto reviewers love to hate it. Yet it has totally DOMINATED the subcompact sales segment for years. (Take that, car reviewers!)

I have to wonder though: how many of those Versa sedans are they selling to individuals vs. to rental fleets?

It's so interesting to see the Versa sedan doing so well in the States, yet they cancelled it in Canada due to non-existent sales and replaced it with the Micra here (which on a per capita comparison basis has been a smash hit, selling nearly as well as the U.S. Versa). It supports the often-repeated theory that Americans like sedans more than hatchbacks. So I am very interested to see what will happen when the Mirage sedan becomes available south of the 49th.

but versa sedan and mirage sedan are the same cars?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cyclopathic

High oil prices sell economic cars and recession (which according to some we are heading to) sells cheap cars.

Mirage is both cheap and frugal, but will it ever sell as good as Versa?

Last year segment sale numbers:
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2016/01...r-end.html?m=1

Subcompact 2015 2014 %Change
Chevrolet Sonic 64,775 93,518 -30.7%
Ford Fiesta 64,458 63,192 2.0%
Honda Fit 52,724 59,340 -11.1%
Hyundai Accent 61,486 63,309 -2.9%
Kia Rio 23,742 35,933 -33.9%
Nissan Versa 144,528 139,781 3.4%

City Car 2015 2014 %Change
Chevrolet Spark 32,853 39,159 -16.1%
Mitsubishi Mirage 21,515 16,708 28.8%
Smart Fortwo 7484 10,453 -28.4%

---

This is interesting data I wish they had posted year production total for 2014 vs 2015, otherwise its kinda hard to get the most out of the data set since one can't tell % production sold. Thanks for posting!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cobrajet

The Versa is a different car than the Mirage, when you think about it. It is larger, roomier, a bit more powerful, etc...it just happens to cost about the same in base, base trim. As such, I think it just appeals to a wider audience.

If the Mirage is the equivalent of a 1995 Metro, then the Versa is probably like the 1995 Tercel. A small hatchback and a slightly larger sedan don't compare directly. Things will get much more interesting when the Mirage G4 comes out!

---

Nissan said something like 42%+ of sold Versas are Note. This would mean that Note outsold Fit. The G4 would also help to compete if they sell as many of them as they sell hatchbacks.

With respect to negative reviews I've been reading online posts and tone seems to be changing. Not with professional auto rags but some community newspaper articles, which while not raving about Mirage as we do, at least give it a justice as well equipped basic transportation with good MPG.

Over a dozen articles of this sort. So I think Mitsubishi PR team is working in right direction.

I still think they need to throw are true performance version with turbo or 4cyl 2L for auto rags to shut up, but perhaps this is a couple years down the road.

I was a Nissan fan for decades, today I own a Mirage. I would have to pass several Nissan dealerships to get to the nearest Mitsubishi dealership. Those proximity and number advantages are hard to beat. The 25% better mileage I get in the Mirage is a deal maker for me along with price and warranty.
After 15k miles, given the chance I would do the same thing again BUT Mitsu needs to fix my rear axle to near 0 camber and toe.

regards
mech

I can speak from my personal experience as a consumer looking (for the last 2 months) to buy a new car:

First I started looking at the Versa Sedan (S Base model with manual windows, locks, bluetooth but has no usb connection for the radio)

As I watched review videos on the Versa on YouTube, a couple of people mentioned the mirage. I looked into the Mirage but immediately noticed it was a hatchback and I was turned off (We dont really care for hatchbacks very much in the USA)

But as I read more and more reviews on the Versa I continued to hear the Mirage mentioned and the rebates that made it very close in price to the Versa S. (I think this was a big problem with Mitsu that instead of using a lower MSRP they use rebates to lower the price but consumers only read a review and see the MSRP so they are led to believe that the Mirage costs $2k more than the Versa S)

As I read more reviews and epsecially reviews on KBB from actual owners of the car (rather than the professional reviewers that insulted the car because they where comparing it to a much more expensive car such as the Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta) I noticed on KBB that the Mirage has much better, consistent reviews from owners than the Versa did.

I went to test drive a Versa S and was really turned off by the cheapness of the interior, the fact that the headrest on the front seats was not adjustable and the seats themselves looked really cheap as well as the interior with the manual windows, it really made me feel that I would be embarassed to take a girl on a first date in this car (the Versa). ALso the fact that the rear seats do not fold down was a royal pain in the a$s (But there is a solution, you have to remove 2 bolts and actually take the rear seat backs OUT!) LoL

THe Versa is cheaper but Nissan went way too far and left out features that are really considered essentials nowadays and me being a minimalist am saying this, I need to have USB in for the radio and because its manual windows and I like to roll down the front and rear window on my side it would be a real inconvenience every day to open the rear door to roll down the back window and then roll it back up when I arrive to my destination(after having to open the rear door once again).

Mitsu could have introduced the Mirage sedan in 2014 and if they had done that I think they would be way ahead in the numbers. They should have known the aversion that USA has to hatchbacks and they are way behind in that regard.

The versa is selling so well in the USA because

1) It is a sedan
2) It has alot of room in the backseat (which the professional reviewers continue to chant over and over again)
3) It is the best selling subcompact in the USA for several years in a row (which the professional reviewers continue to chant over and over again) and most Americans are sheep that follow the trends
4) There are several favorable reviews for the Versa where as 90% of professional reviewers of the Mirage have insulted the car
5) Nissan is more well known, has a larger presence, is spending more on advertising the Versa than mitsu is
6) The VErsa is a more "typical" looking car compared to the Mirage which looks "unusual" to Americans and most of them are sheep and too scared to go outside the box. Just look at how well the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have sold for years (plain janes)

I have good hopes for the 2017 Mirage Sedan in the USA, with the proper marketing strategy and a lower MSRP (rather than using rebates to lower the price) and if they would bribe some of the professional reviewers to give a positive review...... I think they will turn things around completely.

Of course with low prices of oil currently, the Americans have little to no interest in subcompacts and are mostly looking for SUVs, CUV's and V6 sedans

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by old mechanic

I was a Nissan fan for decades, today I own a Mirage. I would have to pass several Nissan dealerships to get to the nearest Mitsubishi dealership. Those proximity and number advantages are hard to beat. The 25% better mileage I get in the Mirage is a deal maker for me along with price and warranty.
After 15k miles, given the chance I would do the same thing again BUT Mitsu needs to fix my rear axle to near 0 camber and toe.

regards
mech

---

I had seen 1yo 2015 Notes coming from rental with 38-46k for ~6k. Warranty aside, 4k will buy you a whole lot of gas to cover the difference, even when it goes back to $4/gal.

Not really a Nissan or Mitsu fan, don't have a dog in the hunt.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cyclopathic

I had seen 1yo 2015 Notes coming from rental with 38-46k for ~6k. Warranty aside, 4k will buy you a whole lot of gas to cover the difference, even when it goes back to $4/gal.

Not really a Nissan or Mitsu fan, don't have a dog in the hunt.

---

But you do like the simplicity of the mirage and the fuel economy anyway :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fc321

Mitsu could have introduced the Mirage sedan in 2014 and if they had done that I think they would be way ahead in the numbers. They should have known the aversion that USA has to hatchbacks and they are way behind in that regard.

---

I hear what you're saying about the U.S. preference for sedans.

But officials at the company were never sure that U.S. buyers would even accept the 74 hp 1.2L 3-cyl engine in the hatchback, never mind in a bigger sedan! Their concern was always the engine. I bet the uproar in the U.S. motoring press would have been dramatically worse if they'd started out with a 74 hp, 3-cyl sedan.

If you read quotes from Mitsu execs, there was a lot of hair-pulling over whether they should even bring the hatchback across the pond. From what I've read, it seems the only reason this car is on sale in Canada/U.S. is due to the fact that the company had nothing else in the product pipeline at that time and the dealers were screaming for ANYTHING new to sell.

The Mirage was a stop-gap measure for North America, but it happened to sell better than they expected. So now they're giving the sedan a shot. I bet if the company's lineup had been better rounded 3 years ago, we wouldn't have the Mirage here at all.

The Mirage was a stop-gap measure for North America, but it happened to sell better than they expected. So now they're giving the sedan a shot. I bet if the company's lineup had been better rounded 3 years ago, we wouldn't have the Mirage here at all.

This. You're right on, Darin.

I know this doesn't address the question of what might happen in the U.S., but it appears the Philippines is another country that vastly prefers sedans over hatchbacks:

Quote:

---

... monthly sales of the Mirage variants so far this year was around 1,500, of which around 500-600 are accounted for by the hatchback.

“Last year we’ve done 12,000 for the sedan and 6,000 for hatchback”

---

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/content....2017&id=126834

So THAT'S why the Versa's monthly sales numbers are so astronomical...

Quote:

---

According to Polk/IHS Automotive, of the top 10 rental vehicles to enter fleets in 2017, four of them were Nissans. The following numbers are good through the end of October:

Attachment 10632

---

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...ericas-fleets/

38,000 Versas into rental fleets in less than a year! That's nearly 2x the sales of all Mirages.

Nissan will sell about 110k Versas in 2017, so 35% of them went to rental companies ... and that's assuming they didn't sell any to Hertz in November or December!

I would love to know the Mirage's rental sales ratio.

I believe those numbers. When we flew into Denver last year, you take a bus to the rental lots which are insanely massive and boy oh boy altimas and versa all over.
We ended up with a accent hatch though but in CA we had a versa.

I read Mits makes small car for Nissan. What do they make? Notes? I'd feel more confident driving a Mits made Nissan than a Nissan made Nissan.

Mitsubishi will not sell as many Mirages as Versas, at least not in North America. The Versa is quite a bit bigger, and Americans like bigger vehicles (even on the small side). Plus, with Nissan's much larger dealer network, it's bound to be more popular.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wallythacker

I read Mits makes small car for Nissan. What do they make? Notes?

---

Nah - the Note, Micra and Versa sedan for North American consumption are all made in the same Mexican factory. Same platform, same drivetrain, many shared interior pieces.

Mitsu makes (or made) a Kei car for the Japan market, rebadged as the Nissan Dayz Roox:

Attachment 10922

That's the car that triggered the Mitsubishi fuel economy scandal in Japan that walloped Mitsu's share price and made it possible for Nissan to swoop in and buy a controlling stake in the company.

Nissan has apparently decided they're serious about focusing on "quality" sales (ie. cut back on fleet business).

They put that plan in motion in April, and overall Nissan sales plummeted 28 freakin percent compared to April last year.

Versa sales: 5998 last month. You have to go all the way back to 2011 to find another month with sales under the 6k level. Many months, 8-10k is normal.

I wonder if the plan is to have the Mirage & G4 take up the rental fleet slack.

Versa sales in the U.S. have collapsed:

3,145 in Aug
3,782 in Sept

Three years ago, it was 15k & 18k for the same months.

You have to go back ~10 years to find numbers that low (when the car was new on the market, just being introduced).

It used to be the best selling subcompact car in the U.S.

I've noticed that the local chain of no-haggle stores has jacked up prices on the Versa and Versa Note substantially--as in, several thousand dollars--over the past couple years. As an example, a leftover 2018 Versa Note S (bottom trim level) is currently $15,888, which is less than $1000 under MSRP! It's a curious sales strategy, and I'm not surprised that sales have tanked, especially considering that there hasn't been a redesign since 2012/13. Nissans are simply not good enough to command that sort of price.

FWIW, I've also noticed that the same chain has priced 2018 Mirages at least $1000 higher than 2017s were priced at the same time last year. Also, they just got in a handful of Mirages and G4s (2018s) after having none for many months. Again, a curious sales strategy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainertodd

especially considering that there hasn't been a redesign since 2012/13. Nissans are simply not good enough to command that sort of price.

---

Of all things, my new neighbour she picked up a brand new Nissan Versa or Versa note, dark blue, only a few weeks ago. Meaning my 2014 Mirage is parked near the Nissan Versa all the time now.

Comparison wise, the Versa looks bigger than my Mirage. The tint on the windows isn't as dark, and I would say also the aero on the doors on the Nissan look more modern.

Not sure its a Versa or a Note.. so yes also her new hatchback looks like a 2013 release. Yet it's a sharp car, longer and less cutesy than my Mitsu

^ You can only get a new "Versa Note" (the hatchback) in Canada. They dropped the Versa sedan around the same time they put the Micra in the Canadian line up.

And you're not mistaken: there's a TON of rear legroom in the back of the Note.

Quote:

---

Versa Note S (bottom trim level) is currently $15,888

---

That's nuts!

I think the biggest reason sales have tanked has to do with cutting back fleet sales. It may also explain why Chevy Spark sales have taken off this year.