Mitsubishi Mirage 2016 News

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The Mitsubishi Mirage has claimed the 2013 crown for the lowest running costs of any new car on the Australian market

The Mitsubishi Attrage – the name is a blend of attractive and Mirage – will be built in Thailand as a global light sedan, and could arrive here late this year or early next year.Mitsubishi Australia has not confirmed its arrival, but says it would slot in here with the Mirage. “It’s a compact sedan and will have its own little space in the market; it will sit just above the Mirage or within the mirage range,” Mitsubishi Australia spokeswoman Caitlin Beale says.  “It will be offered on a global scale, so will be sent to any countries that decide to pick it up.”“Whether it will keep the Attrage name in Australia is yet to be been confirmed. However, it’s likely since it’s part of a global line.”The Attrage adds a light sedan to the Mitsubishi range in Australia, which currently offers only the Lancer with a boot. The Attrage gets the Mirage’s 1.2-litre 3-cylinder MIVEC engine mated to a five-speed manual or CVT gearbox and a fuel efficiency of 4.6L/100km.Beale says there’s no indication of price yet, but that the sedan would compete against the booted versions of the Toyota Yaris and Holden Barina. With those main rivals starting well under $20,000 – the Yaris from $18,190 and Barina from $16,490 – Mitsubishi will need to be strategic on the pricing, so it’s likely to be not too far north of the Mirage hatch’s $12,990 entry price.Beale says there are no confirmed local arrival dates as yet. However, don’t be surprised to see it roll into Australian dealerships either late this year or early next year.The Attrage follows the fashion of adding a small sedan into ranges near a hatch: Nissan did it with its Micra hatch and Almera sedan and Honda with its Jazz hatch and City sedan. 

The new Mirage is claimed to offer outstanding fuel efficiency, a spacious interior for five people and easy-to-drive manoeuvrability, with nimble performance wrapped up in a stylish and affordable package. Powered by a 57kW 1.2-litre three cylinder petrol engine the all-new Smart MIVEC engine delivers best in class fuel efficiency returning 4.6 litres/100km. Sounds like something from 25 years ago. But the safety system is a different story, with six airbags, electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes with Brakeforce Distribution. The entry level ES model comes standard with CD player, two speakers, USB and AUX input and Bluetooth 2.0 with audio streaming. The three-spoke leather steering wheel features phone and audio controls, making it easy to listen to music and safer to take phone calls on the road. A CVT style automatic brings the price to $15,240, plus on road costs. Climbing the ladder the Sport is $14,190 and the LS is $15,490.  

Despite tasty hero cars led by the F-Type Jaguar and Aston Martin One-77, it's the real world cars that are of most interest.The return of the Nissan Pulsar, the unveiling of the Toyota Corolla and the first Sydney appearance of the Mazda6 and Mitsubishi Mirage are all proof that ordinary customers now rule the roost. As car sales track strongly towards an all-time record, it's real people spending their own money who are the real target for carmakers."If you get the product right, everything else follows," the top Aussie at Toyota Australia, Dave Buttner, tells Carsguide. "All the growth in sales this year is with private buyers, as government departments have been winding back and fleet sales are also down. Private buyers are confident and they are spending on the second-biggest purchase after their house."Nissan confirmed its commitment to the new-age PUlsar with a $19,990 starting price and a SSS under lights. "Pulsar is back and we have big plans," Bill Peffer, managing director of Nissan Australia, tells Carsguide.For Mazda, the new 6 is its first all-new arrival since the GFC and a pointer to the replacement for the top selling Mazda3. "You can see now where we're going," Doug Dickson, MD of Mazda Australia, says. And the baby Mirage? "It's something new for us, and it's going to bring a lot of people to the brand. I reckon we'll sell heaps," Mitsubishi marketing chief Paul Unerkov laughs. 

The "global compact car" will first be sold in Thailand, followed by ASEAN countries, Japan, Europe, then expand to other markets successively. The Mirage was developed under a concept that fulfils the needs of both fast-growing emerging markets as an entry-level car and the eco-conscious advanced markets with its environmental performance. The Mirage will be made at a brand-new third factory at Mitsubishi Motors Thailand's (MMTh) Laem Chabang Plant; the largest MMC plant outside of Japan. The Mirage is focused on premium fuel efficiency and low CO2 emission. The new tiddler delivers fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions that are among the best in its class thanks to the all-new MIVEC1 engine and reduced aerodynamic resistance and rolling resistance. It provides nimble handling inherent to a compact car while utilising high-efficiency packaging to maintain interior space for five adults. Optimisation of the body structure and more extensive use of high-tensile strength panel make the vehicle seven per cent lighter than is normal for its class, contributing to better fuel economy.  The Mirage uses Mitsubishi's impact-resistant RISE 3 body, which absorbs and distributes impact force to deliver high levels of occupant safety. A high level of quality achieved through MMDS (Mitsubishi Motors Development System), a comprehensive quality management system that sets and assesses/evaluates the achievement of specific performance benchmarks within each stage of operations from vehicle planning, sales and after-sales services. In addition, before production, Mitsubishi stationed experienced inspectors from its Japanese factories in Thailand to inspect manufactured units at the new third factory in order to make sure that the same quality standards from its Japanese factories are reached. The Thai-market Mirage will be equipped with a 1.2L MIVEC engine and achieve around  5.0 litres/100KM  with a EURO 4 rating