Mitsubishi 380 2006 News

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

In extreme situations, owners have been warned their vehicles may catch fire.Mitsubishi was hit with the biggest safety recall for the three month period. It has written to owners of Pajeros built between 2000 and 2003 to warn them of a potential brake problem. As many as 13,400 vehicles may need to be checked.The company also recalled 4400 of its now-defunct 380 sedan, built between 2006 and 2007, which may have a faulty fuel tank retaining strap. In a severe collision the tank may be dislodged and spill fuel.Mitsubishi is also checking more than 8300 Colts built this year which may have a problem with door windows which may drop and unlock or open the door while the car is being driven.Honda has recalled 11,800 of its 2004-05 Jazz to check whether they have a faulty handbrake, while Mazda needs to look at 1770 of its B4000 utes built between 2005-2006 because the bonnet may open unexpectedly.Subaru has recalled 5380 of its Imprezas, built between 2001 and 2003 because of a faulty rear tailgate which may suddenly drop.Subaru Australia spokesman, Dave Rowley, said many of the recalls were to check for "minor or niggling" faults."We have had no incidents of anyone being injured in Australia and we found only six cars which had the faulty (tailgate strut) connection."Many recalls are done as a pre-emptive measure to avoid possible problems further down the track, " he said.Other potential faults include electrical short circuits, which in extreme circumstances, may start a cabin fire in Landrover Freelander diesels built since 2007. Landrover warns the fault may occur when the vehicle is parked and unattended.Other recalls were to check for short circuits in Fiat's Grande Punto; and a chance that the panoramic glass roof in a small number of Citroen's Picasso could be dislodged.Suzuki has warned of potential fire risk in its 3-door Suzuki Grand Vitara (2006-07) because of a possible cracked fuel pipe, while the 2005-08 Vitara diesel has a remote fire risk in a filter because of a problem with the intercooler outlet pipe insulator.Other problems include faulty rear seat belt D-loop attachments in the current Jaguar XF, and the potential for a loss of steering in Chrysler's 300C built last year because of a problem with rear axle hub nuts which could see the half shaft disengage from the wheel hub.Mercedes Benz wants to look at axles, springs and the park brake in its Sprinter or Vito vans.Jayco has recalled some of its motor homes to check and fix awning and exhaust pipe problems.Of the 1500 motorcycles recalled, safety issues to be fixed include a faulty fuel filler on Kawasaki models, a windshield which may come off Buell bikes if ridden at high speed and a rear view mirror which may fall off on certain Yamaha models.An ACCC spokeswoman said this year's figures were actually less than last year but the number has been steadily rising over the past 20 years.The ACCC says there have been 52 individual recalls this year compared to 171 last year.Full details of the recalls can be found at www.recalls.gov.au 

Mitsubishi ceased production of its 380 sedan two months ago, but a special edition version remains under construction and starts its showroom debut this week. The TMR380 is everything Mitsubishi would have wanted to showcase the product. This rapid, comfortable, affordable and well-finished model may have raised enough interest to keep the 380 in production ... maybe. Where Holden has HSV, Toyota has TRD and Ford has FPV, Mitsubishi has TMR. Mitsubishi's division is the conduit to Australia for Ralliart toys, though it is on full tilt to produce a smart, quick, quiet and unobtrusive sports sedan based on the now defunct 380. Only 20 TMR380s, priced at $56,990, will be built. This week, four will be delivered to dealers in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Team Mitsubishi Ralliart (TMR) chief Alan Heaphy says three TMR380s are set aside in his warehouse and the remaining 13 will be completed before the end of this month. “We've pre-sold 17,” Heaphy says. “Sixty per cent of the total have been bought by collectors and I guess they'll end up in their sheds. These collectors already have cars like the R-Series and E49 . There's a lot of interest in the TMR380 and it's reassuring that it has already been picked up by collectors.” The TMR380 gets a 230kW and 442Nm version of its plain-jane sister's 3.8-litre V6. The power and torque upgrade come courtesy of Perth-based (and recently a public listed company) Automotive Technology Group. ATG is the umbrella to the research and development. It is the specialist manufacturer of Vee Two motorcycles and equipment and, pertinent to the TMR380, Sprintex superchargers. The TMR380 uses Sprintex's latest Series-IV supercharger. There have been changes to the suspension with Koni dampers, re-rated springs and a lower ride height. The brakes are enormous: Harrop-designed 370mm front and 340mm rear rotors with six-pot calipers at the front and four at the back. These rotors squeeze within the 19x8 inch ROH alloys, ringed by 225/40ZR19 Advan Sport tyres. The TMR380 is distinctive by its colour, all 20 are red, and the addition of a different upper and lower grille, rear spoiler, side skirts and badging. Inside there's retrimmed seats with the TMR logo. Now don't think this article is a dead loss because Mitsubishi no longer makes the 380. If you miss out on the few that will make it to selected Mitsubishi showrooms, TMR and/or ATG can supply all the supercharger equipment to replicate the TMR380's performance. Used 380 prices could make an aftermarket upgrade quite a bargain. One dealer has advertised 2007 380s at $25,990, less a $6000 trade-in, leaving $19,990. And a 2005 model is going for $15,990. Heaphy says the TMR won't take blokes out of HSVs but will appeal to those wanting a sports sedan that accelerates, stops and goes around corners as good as its rivals. “We've tried to combine the high quality and reliability of the 380 with a racier character,” he says. “It still seats five people. It has a big boot, it even has a full-size spare wheel that's the same as the road wheels.” TMR says the $56,990 price tag is based on the TRD Aurion, before Aurion's price was reduced. Heaphy says after the 20 TMR380s are built, he will look at providing after-market performance cars for the 380. They will include the superchargers and suspension kits. On the road the TMR380 is as sophisticated as its rivals, so it's a shame this model will never see full-scale production. Even before exercising its potential, the test car (the first TMR380 built) is far more refined than the show car of a few years ago. Back then, the car was raw, noisy and inaccurate in its steering. I put it down to being a pre-production car; Heaphy put it down to having to build that prototype in seven weeks. “It was a US-spec Galant,” Heaphy says. “We had to change the car into a 380 and then modify it into the show car. It was a difficult job.” This time the supercharger is barely audible and the car runs hard and precise through the bends. The power, pushed up 55kW and 99Nm at the same revs from the stock engine, is linear and never upsets the car's dynamics. The Sprintex supercharger pumps at a modest 0.45bar (6.5psi) boost without needing an intercooler. It performs with surprising quietness so few will pick this as a performance sedan. The transmission remains the stock five-speed auto with sequential change. Though the steering is unchanged, the re-rated suspension relays better road feel. The suspension is compliant enough so the TMR380 endures bumps without passing on any harshness to the occupants. In effect, the TMR380 is like a slightly rawer version of the TRD Aurion. And it's rarer as well.   Snapshot Mitsubishi TMR380 Price: $56,990 Engine: 3.8L/V6 230kW/442Nm Transmission: 5-speed auto  

The silver Mitsubishi 380, polished to a glistening sheen by a dozen hands, was the last to roll off the production line of the car-maker's Adelaide plant, which closes today, throwing most of its remaining 930 staff out of work. Mr Mueller performed the last rites yesterday when he slapped a quality assurance sticker on the windscreen of the final 380 sedan to be made there. The moment was bittersweet for the production workers who looked on, some teary, as a chapter of Australian auto-making ended. “It's a relief in one way,” Mr Mueller said quietly. “We have been hanging on tenterhooks for the last few years, so at least now we've got an outcome and people can get on with their lives.” The process auditor thinks he inspected about 30,000 of the 1.1million Mitsubishis that rolled off the Tonsley Park line; after the factory was taken over by the Japanese car-maker in 1980 from the US-based Chrysler company. The car that was supposed to revive the glory days of Tonsley Park — when it produced the Charger coupe and not-so-beloved Valiant for Chrysler, then the successful Sigma, Colt and Magna lines for Mitsubishi — sealed its fate by bombing with Australian buyers. If there was any bitterness among the retrenched workers, they kept it to themselves. Andy Barwick, 43, started work at the plant as a 16-year-old in 1980 when the last Valiants were made. To have the production line fall silent after all those years was “surreal,” he said. “It hasn't really sunk in that it's all over,” he added, his friend, Brian Wilson, 58, nodding in agreement. “I'm just so used to being here.” Mark Smith, 34, hopes his training as a welder will land him work at Adelaide-based naval submarine builder ASC. A quality inspector on the production line, earning a base salary of $48,000, he is resigned to a lower-paid job. Chris Peachey, 39, a leading hand in the factory paint shop, said it was time to move on. He is looking for a job in the mines, hopefully in South Australia, but he's prepared to move to Queensland or Western Australia with his wife and two children. Metalworkers union state boss John Camillo said only 10per cent of the retrenched production workers had found jobs, and he was concerned those without trade qualifications could struggle. Mitsubishi chief executive Rob McEniry paid tribute to the loyalty and commitment of the Tonsley Park staff. As for the last 380, it will be auctioned among Mitsubishi dealers, with the anticipated six-figure proceeds going to charity. Other cars in yesterday's final production run will be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Vision Australia and Adelaide's National Motor Museum.  

The last of the Mitsubishi 380s will come off the production line to end car manufacturing at Mitsubishi's plant at Tonsley Park this afternoon. It is understood a media presentation at the plant this afternoon will reveal what will happen to the final few cars made today. “Some of the last vehicles off the line will go to special homes,” Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd corporate communications manager Lenore Fletcher said yesterday. “There has been a great deal of interest in the final vehicles of 380 production.” Today the final checks will be made on the last cars to be built at the southern suburbs car factory, opened 44 years ago under the Chrysler Australia banner. The closure of the plant - and loss of 930 jobs - was announced early last month by MMAL president and chief executive Robert McEniry. Tonsley Park makes only the 380, a large sedan, at a time when the swing has been away from large cars. And it could not find a business case to produce any other model. “This has been a very difficult decision,” Mr McEniry said. Mitsubishi's task from now is to make sure motorists realise it remains as an importer and a strong car brand in Australia. It is arranging full parts warranty and service support for all Mitsubishi products, including the 380, at its 200 dealers across the nation. A decision is yet to be made on what will happen to the large site at Tonsley Park, although the State Government has said it does not want it to go to housing development but wishes it to stay an industrial precinct, creating permanent jobs.  

The car, first produced in 2005, was seen as a measure of whether the plant could produce profitable vehicles, however, bad timing and poor export figures led to unsatisfactory sales results. The V6 four-door 380 was produced as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Magna. At the time of the car's release, car industry experts and economists claimed the success of the 380 would determine the outcome of the company's future in Australia. Australian Institute for Social Research executive director John Spoehr said the 380 was well designed and built - $600 million was spent developing the vehicle - but rising petrol prices and poor exports crippled sales. “Mitsubishi placed a great deal of importance on the 380 as a transition to a more secure future for the Adelaide plant,” he said. “The difficulty for these things is the lead time for establishing a new model is so long that circumstances changed by the time the 380 came on to the market. “Large cars at a time of rising petrol prices were becoming increasingly unpopular in the Australian market.” Mitsubishi sales grew by 20 per cent last year but the 380 bucked the trend selling only 10,942 units, a drop of 11.9 per cent over its 2006 tally. Mr Spoehr said the Japanese company needed to see strong continued sales growth of the 380 to have its “faith” restored in building cars in Australia. “Not being able to secure sufficient export volumes really made it impossible for the 380 to be the leader it needed to restore the faith in the parent company,” he said.

The countdown has begun and decisions must be made soon on the mid-life update and upgrade of the 380, and any car that will follow it into production at the Mitsubishi Motors Australia factory in Adelaide. Company chief Rob McEniry has just been in Japan for an extensive series of meetings, including planning work on the 380, and expects to have the car's future clarified by head office soon. He is reluctant to talk about a likely replacement for the 380, which is struggling against its big-six rivals the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion, but admits the car's future will be determined next month or early next year. “As I said last year, at the end of 2007 Mitsubishi would be going through its normal model cycle and mid-term planning phase and that's when we'd look at replacement or potentials for the 380, and that's exactly where we are,” McEniry says. Mitsubishi remains committed to local manufacturing and has several options for the future including a replacement for the 380 based on the Concept-ZT, and possibly a smaller car. However, details are yet to be assessed. Although the Mitsubishi 380 sales results are well below original predictions, the Adelaide-based vehicle operation has underpinned its future with strong sales of its imported range. The Triton, Outlander and Pajero off-roaders are popular and the just-launched two-litre Lancer sedan is expected to gain a strong following based on its $20,990 price and standard inclusion of electronic stability control. Mitsubishi plans to fit stability control to the 380 by mid next year. Despite the struggling 380 sales, Mitsubishi executives describe it as “approaching the segment average” for private sales. Results of only 1000 a month are putting pressure on the car's viability and a large portion of the car's sales have been to fleets. However, McEniry denies Mitsubishi is building only for fleet orders and says the 380 special editions such as the Platinum and Sports models had been popular with private buyers. Mitsubishi hopes to sell more than 10,000 380s this year. So far it has built 8170, down from 9603 for the same period last year. McEniry says the 380 can continue despite its low build rate.  

Just 658 of the model were sold new in August, more than 38 per cent down on the 1069 in the same month last year. The previous lowest sales month was June last year when 719 cars were sold. The car was launched in October, 2005. Up to 1650 cars a month were sold in the early days of the model's release. In releasing its Vfacts figures, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reported record August sales of new cars and commercial vehicles. The 88,206 sold was 6545, or 8 per cent, more than August last year and beat the best August 2005 by 2029. Mitsubishi Motors Australia management yesterday said it was “not happy” with August's 380 sales. “But it is not a trend. It is an anomaly,” corporate affairs manager Lenore Fletcher said. She said a changeover from Series II to the upgraded Series III model 380 in the month had left some variants unavailable. Ms Fletcher said the low for 380 sales was not to be interpreted that the end was in sight for production at the Tonsley Park plant. “We are quite confident sales will be back up in September and October. We don't expect that (low figure) to continue,” she said. The Vfacts figures show the new Toyota Corolla small car came close to knocking off the Holden Commodore as Australia's biggest selling car last month. Third most popular was the Toyota HiLux ute. The Mazda3 is ahead of the Ford Falcon in year-to-date sales.  

Mitsubishi has updated its 380 model, with an LPG dual-fuel engine among the changes.

Television reality shows do not have a monopoly on extreme makeovers -- car companies are renowned for the odd nip-and-tuck to keep a model fresh in car buyers' eyes. But Mitsubishi's freshen-up of its 380 sedan may fall into the category of modest makeover. The Series III update goes on sale in July but do not expect huge changes. Mitsubishi spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher describes the changes the range as cosmetic and largely restricted to new wheels, paint colours and some trim upgrades. The car's V6 engine specifications will remain the same, meaning the 3.8-litre V6 will still churn out 175kW at 5250 revs and 343Nm at 4000 revs. Mitsubishi is expected to realign some models in an effort to streamline the line-up but Fletcher would not say whether any models would be dropped. The 380 line-up consists of ES, SX, VRX, LX and range-topping GT. Mitsubishi, like all local carmakers, is under pressure to streamline models to avoid excessive build costs associated with too many variants. However, a special Platinum-edition 380 with $4000 of extra equipment has been a minor success for the company and could be a more frequent offering. Fletcher confirmed the 380 Series III pricing would remain at $27,990 for the entry model. When the 380 was launched in late 2005 it had a starting price of $34,490, but the company was forced to reduce prices in an effort to drive sales. Mitsubishi had hoped to show a VRX prototype at this week's Adelaide Motor Show, but the car was unavailable. The Series III upgrade is the second freshen-up in the 380's 18-month life. Last April it received a Series I upgrade in an effort to bolster slow sales. According to VFACTS sales figures, the 380 consistently sells about 1000 a month, a figure the company says is viable. Despite the 380's valiant sales struggle, Mitsubishi's imports continue to be responsible for the lion's share of company revenues. Strong Lancer, Outlander and Pajero sales bolster its bottom line. The Lancer is the company's best seller. Mitsubishi is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next-generation 113kW 2.0-litre and 130kW 2.4-litre Lancer about October. However, performance buyers will have to wait until next year for the turbocharged 2.0-litre Evo X. Though few details are known, the Evo X's power output is expected to grow from 206kW to about 220kW and its all-wheel-drive system and safety systems have been upgraded. The Evo X is expected to offer a Volkswagen Golf-style six-speed manual direct-shift gearbox.