Article: Mirage Success Surprising Even to Mitsubishi

[MetroMPG]

Ward's Auto posted a piece today about the surprising success of the Mirage in the U.S.

Apparently people inside the company were split over whether it would sell or not.

After saying that changes were made to the car to make it more "palatable" to U.S. buyers, there's an interesting quote about engine power:

Even after the 5-door went on sale, Mitsubishi engineers were concerned the car’s 74-hp 1.2L 3-cyl. wasn’t powerful enough.

“We brought in 10 consumers who bought (the) Mirage, and we talked to them with our Japanese engineers in Dallas a few months back…(but) not one of the 10 brought up power as an issue”

They also mention that the Mirage sedan is coming to the U.S. later this year, and that the styling is "sportier" than the hatch. And while they expect it to cannibalize some hatch sales, they also expect a net increase.

Full article: http://m.wardsauto.com/auto-makers/m...ven-mitsubishi