Mitsubishi is no longer calling the shots. They have the Alliance making those decisions for them now.
Companies like Honda & Toyota have small car offerings in other parts of the world. It wouldn't take much for them to add those small cars to their line up here. I see no signs of that happening.
Average new vehicle costs were $47,148 in May 2022. People expect & want a lot of extra garbage on their vehicles these days, and that is costly.
Years ago, pickup trucks were cheaper than cars. Today's trucks are loaded with features. I grew up around a very rural farming community. I don't remember a single farmer owning a 4WD truck in northern Wisconsin as a kid. Now, I can't think of anyone who owns a RWD truck let alone a standard cab truck.
Base model economy vehicles don't exist any more. You could buy a brand new Mirage ES manual @ WB for $7,500-$9,500 (depending on how many rebates you qualified for) in 2017. There should be some profit made on a $18,000+ Mirage in 2022. Changing the bumpers couldn't have changed the cost of manufacturing that much.
I personally think the Mirage is already being phased out, because inventory is nothing like it was 2 years ago. I hope that trend changes. Given the current economy, I would have thought the Mirage would become a bigger seller. Dealers can't sell what they don't have, however. Some people are not going to consider a Mirage @ $20,000 a good value, because at that price I wouldn't stray from looking at used vehicles. Used vehicles prices are nuts, too!
Here's the average used vehicle price for your state below -
https://ktla.com/automotive/this-is-...in-each-state/