Despite its age, the Mitsubishi Mirage is still a good seller in parts of the world. So it’s a bit of a surprise when we came across a report in Indonesia about the subcompact car. Over there, the Mirage is getting axed, so it begs the question, what happens here?
First, a background. When we said the Mirage is still a strong seller, it’s no longer the case in Indonesia. Over there, sales of the Mirage are down to a trickle, prompting the move for its discontinuation. It’s totally understandable. Why sell a product that isn’t shifting?
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"This car is not included in Mitsubishi's future sales plans," said Amiruddin, General Manager Sales & Marketing Division of PT Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Sales Indonesia (MMKSI), speaking to Indonesia publication, Otodriver.
Another reason for its discontinuation is the shifting preference of consumers. In Indonesia, more customers are flocking to subcompact MPVs, and more people bought Xpanders instead of Mirages. With Mitsubishi’s focus aimed at selling more MPVs and crossovers, the Japanese automaker chose to favor a larger audience.
But what does that mean for the Mirage in the Philippines? Well, it doesn’t seem likely that Mitsubishi will pull the plug on that model. The Mirage, particularly the G4, is still a volume seller in the country, and it wouldn’t be wise to axe that model from a business perspective. Given the sales and local production, the Mirage and Mirage G4 appear to be safe from being canned in the country.
However, there’s no denying the Mirage’s age. This model made its world premiere way back in 2012 with the G4 following suit in 2013. There have been a series of updates and facelifts over the years, most recently in 2021. But the chassis of the model is now over a decade old and newer competition has creeped in, along with the Chinese automakers coming in with temptingly low prices.
Mitsubishi’s timeline doesn’t show a low-cost car in the future, but over in Europe, the company revived the Colt hatchback. That said, it’s unlikely that the Colt will be sold in the country or even outside of Europe. Then again, there is a slim chance of it being offered in other parts of the world should Mitsubishi retool its assembly lines in Thailand and the Philippines.
