Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback axed in Japan

Many Filipinos are familiar with the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback as a fuel-saving champion. Unfortunately, the econobox’s journey stops here, at least as far as its home market is concerned. 

It's the end of the line for the Mitsubishi Mirage in Japan

Mitsubishi Motors’ Japanese website announced that it is ending production of the fuel-sipping model, advising customers that it may not be able to accommodate requests for specific body colors and options, among others.     

The company gave no specific reason as to why it is discontinuing the Mirage, but the general industry shift to larger crossovers and SUVs has been cited as a factor in the recent demise of several models. Rival automaker Honda alone has dropped almost 10 vehicles from its Japanese lineup, including the Accord, CR-V, and Odyssey.

Prospects for the Mirage’s future in overseas markets remain uncertain. “The Mirage remains an integral part of our U.S. lineup at this time,” a spokesperson for Mitsubishi North America was reported as saying, despite the company selling just 12,763 units to U.S. customers as of the third quarter of 2022. 

The Mirage G4 sedan has been outselling its hatchback version in the Philippines

Similarly, there are no updates regarding the hatchback in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines where it is currently outsold by the Mirage G4 despite predating the sedan version by almost a year. Initially imported from Mitsubishi’s Laem Chabang facility in Thailand, both the Mirage and Mirage G4 were eventually adopted for local production under the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program.   

Following the Philippine launch of the facelifted Mirage G4 in 2021, reports surfaced that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) will be introducing the restyled Mirage hatchback against segment competitors such as the Toyota Wigo and Honda Brio. 

However, local production of the facelifted Mirage hatchback was deemed too big of an investment for MMPC, as monthly sales of the current version totaled 500 units compared to over 1,000 for the Mirage G4. 

Several features that originally came on the PH-spec Mirage were eventually removed 

The current sixth-generation Mirage hatchback was introduced in 2012 as a fuel-efficient and value-packed model to Filipino customers. By 2021, it had been stripped of many of its features such as push-button start, touchscreen head unit, and anti-lock brakes, while the original range of four trim levels was halved.   
    
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