No more new Galants?

[keithert]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/03/mitsubishi-wants-to-halt-u-s-galant-production-switch-to-small/ says Mitsu may switch production in Normal away from the Galant. What have you guys heard about this?

[SkylineG1]

about time

[4g63lover]

cars they need to keep making in Japan is the Lancer, Galant, and the Colt as Japanese imports into the U.S. Everything else would probabaly survive in the U.S. market as a U.S. product. Especially if Mitsubishi decided to have an SUV big eough with a third row but eficient as well. IMO if they ever stop making Galants, it would probably be one of the biggest mistakes they will make. The Galant has been on Mitsubishis line-up far longer than any other model. So why stop making a car that has been the company's main seller? The Eclipse otherwise, needs to step up its game. Make it AWD or even make it turbo. Whatever they do they need to step-it-up if they want to keep it as a selling product.

[jimmy_o2]

x2

[G-spot]

If you check the construction label at the dealership, Lancer, Outlander, and the EVO, is made/assembled 100&#37; from Japan while the 9.5 Galant, 4g Eclipse, and the Endevour is a sorry < 37%.

Wow, it took MMA 4 years to finally figure this out? It took TGC 6 months before the car even came out to the dealership to figure out the car was not a success. 8g 4 life 8)

[XXL4G64]

They should go Turbo with the New Galants Making like 300+ AWD

[00galantguy]

galant vr4's

[RedGalant2k1]

Its all about differentiation, and uniqueness. Mitsubishi has none. Not even the EVO is that much different from the Subaru STI. Or anything else in that category now, everything has Brembo's and Recaro's. They need to reinstitute the Galant VR4. Twin Turbo, 6spd, AWD. That could help show people that Mitsubishi can make higher end cars.

They need a luxury brand like Lexus or Infiniti. They should bring the Proudia or Dignity here.

[4g63lover]

They should go Turbo with the New Galants Making like 300+ AWD

they will never do that with the Galant simply because it will take the spotlight from the EVO. It seems like they are afraid to change direction for some reason. it's not like the direction they are going is a good one. Im just hoping, they dont turn out like toyota. boring line-up.

[G-spot]

20th century Toyota = Badass lineup with good revenue.

21st century Toyota = Boring lineup with good revenue.

But at least they are still making bucks.

[RedGalant2k1]

20th century Toyota = Badass lineup with good revenue.

21st century Toyota = Boring lineup with good revenue.

But at least they are still making bucks.

Because they somehow convinced people that their cars are more reliable than the competition when we all know they aren't. Hell I know a guy who has had three transmissions put in his 2008 Camry. And that isn't the only person who has had problems with the new Camry. Its not that good, neither is Toyota for that matter.

[greddy]

Because they somehow convinced people that their cars are more reliable than the competition when we all know they aren't. Hell I know a guy who has had three transmissions put in his 2008 Camry. And that isn't the only person who has had problems with the new Camry. Its not that good, neither is Toyota for that matter.

I'd have to agree, I hate most toyotas, other than the supras, mr2's, and awd celicas, those cars were just badass.

[lonestar22]

they dont need to make some 300 plus horsepower galant just because thats what people like. first of all no one wants to own a fifty thousand dollar galant, theyd spend their money elsewhere. all they would really need to do is make it look better, make a hybrid version like everyone else. mitsubishi has a really bad name, everyone knows it. theyre slowly regaining confidence of buyers but most people still think they are crap. if they can come out with a nice looking galant like they did with the 8g people WILL buy it. coming out with a premium label wouldnt hurt either, mitsubishi is the only japanese car company without a premium label

[4-G-rim]

mitsubishi is the only japanese car company without a premium label

Honda,Subaru and Mazda also don't have "premium" brands. The only reason Lexus and Infiniti exist is because of the US "social status" market. Consumers here in the states will buy something and consider the "brand image" and driving a $40k Toyota doesn't look as good as a $40k Mercedes or BMW. The Lexus brand was strictly marketed as a prestige brand image of high class luxury.


The last time a Galant was truly imported was the 6g's. To be honest, the 6g was a better built car quality wise compared to my 7g and even our 8g. Interior materials, fit and finish and overall how the car was put together just seems more solid. Japanese quality inspection and standards are just better. This goes also for like Toyota that started building some of their cars here in the states. Overall quality isn't as good as a car imported from Japan.

I just think Mitsubishi needs refocus on the Galant....its been their seller for years and years!!! They also need to stop building the Galant to be a better "alternative" to a Accord or Camry and just build the Galant to be just the BETTER car. The automotive industry is changing drastically...especially with the fuel conscious buyers out there that want higher MPG's, but consumers still want a well built and reliable car with performance. Mitsu just needs to build a SOLID car...not just the Galant, but their whole lineup. They are getting better with quality and fit and finish..but it can be better. Their reliability has improved alot too and they need to maintain that.

RedGalant is right in a way that Mitsubishi has to kinda reestablish that excitement into their lineup. I don't think they need to prove they are capable of producing a car with LOTS of performance thanks to their 1st and 2nd gens Eclipses, 3KGT & Galant VR4 models, and the Lancer Evo...actually most of the world Mitsubishi is known for that for the exception of the states as Ralliart exposure is very minimal here. I truly believe that Galant concept of recent is a awsome step to make the Galant stand out from the mundane mid sized cars in the market now. The Accord, Camry, Alitma, and Mazda 6 look good in their own way, but also almost looks the same in shape and look almost alike to higher end cars.

I do believe they should bring the Colt here in the states to be direct compeition to the Scions, Honda Fit, etc etc. Mitsubishi would do good...the Colt looks alot better and its a car with performance and fuel friendly. I do think its a better idea to have the higher priced models in their lineup built in Japan and imported here to the states. In Japan they are built better and you want your higher priced cars in your lineup to have the same quality. The "cheaper" cars would be better built here...since they will be "cheaper" to sell since built and sold here, but they would have to step up the quality on how the assemble the cars in Normal, IL.

Mitsubishi's high priced cars were REALLY good cars but they no longer aren't in their lineup. The Diamante was a awsome car...it was reliable and overall quality was awsome. The bad thing it was up their in price and unfortunately the brand image of Mitsubishi couldn't justifiy a consumer to spend 30k+ on a Mitsubishi. Also the Montero is a awsome SUV...my dad has a 06 and that thing is awsome. Top notch reliability record and build quality is great too and a tranny and drivetrain you can't kill. The demise of the Montero was the price....another close to 40k Mitsu that consumer couldn't justify to spend while you can spend that much on a Lexus SUV.

I just feel that Mitsu needs to stop building a car that is "good enough" and build cars that are "better" than the competitors. Like those stupid new Toyota commercials basically marketing the phrase "Why buy a car that compares to a Toyota.....while you can just buy a Toyota". (I feel that Toyota has been a bit egotistic lately) Mitsubishi needs to stop building a car that is comparible to a competitor....build a car that the competitor has to compare to Mitsubishi.

[9G]

its all about surviving now. good plan.

[lonestar22]

hey 4grim what is acura?

[greddy]

hey 4grim what is acura?

x2

[9G]

http://www.honda.com/

[RedGalant2k1]

Subaru and Mazda don't have premium brands because 1) Subaru had been owned by GM for 15 years, and 2) Mazda is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. So in actuality they have Lincoln and just in the past year or two Subaru had Cadillac. Subaru is now owned by Fuji Heavy Industries.

So technically the only companies are Subaru and Mitsubishi.

[Da_silvagride]

off topic but did you guys see this? I would buy this for the family.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/mugen_odyssey_110108---2.jpg

[RedGalant2k1]

Honda,Subaru and Mazda also don't have "premium" brands. The only reason Lexus and Infiniti exist is because of the US "social status" market. Consumers here in the states will buy something and consider the "brand image" and driving a $40k Toyota doesn't look as good as a $40k Mercedes or BMW. The Lexus brand was strictly marketed as a prestige brand image of high class luxury.

The last time a Galant was truly imported was the 6g's. To be honest, the 6g was a better built car quality wise compared to my 7g and even our 8g. Interior materials, fit and finish and overall how the car was put together just seems more solid. Japanese quality inspection and standards are just better. This goes also for like Toyota that started building some of their cars here in the states. Overall quality isn't as good as a car imported from Japan.

I just think Mitsubishi needs refocus on the Galant....its been their seller for years and years!!! They also need to stop building the Galant to be a better "alternative" to a Accord or Camry and just build the Galant to be just the BETTER car. The automotive industry is changing drastically...especially with the fuel conscious buyers out there that want higher MPG's, but consumers still want a well built and reliable car with performance. Mitsu just needs to build a SOLID car...not just the Galant, but their whole lineup. They are getting better with quality and fit and finish..but it can be better. Their reliability has improved alot too and they need to maintain that.

RedGalant is right in a way that Mitsubishi has to kinda reestablish that excitement into their lineup. I don't think they need to prove they are capable of producing a car with LOTS of performance thanks to their 1st and 2nd gens Eclipses, 3KGT & Galant VR4 models, and the Lancer Evo...actually most of the world Mitsubishi is known for that for the exception of the states as Ralliart exposure is very minimal here. I truly believe that Galant concept of recent is a awsome step to make the Galant stand out from the mundane mid sized cars in the market now. The Accord, Camry, Alitma, and Mazda 6 look good in their own way, but also almost looks the same in shape and look almost alike to higher end cars.

I do believe they should bring the Colt here in the states to be direct compeition to the Scions, Honda Fit, etc etc. Mitsubishi would do good...the Colt looks alot better and its a car with performance and fuel friendly. I do think its a better idea to have the higher priced models in their lineup built in Japan and imported here to the states. In Japan they are built better and you want your higher priced cars in your lineup to have the same quality. The "cheaper" cars would be better built here...since they will be "cheaper" to sell since built and sold here, but they would have to step up the quality on how the assemble the cars in Normal, IL.

Mitsubishi's high priced cars were REALLY good cars but they no longer aren't in their lineup. The Diamante was a awesome car...it was reliable and overall quality was awesome. The bad thing it was up their in price and unfortunately the brand image of Mitsubishi couldn't justify a consumer to spend 30k+ on a Mitsubishi. Also the Montero is a awesome SUV...my dad has a 06 and that thing is awesome. Top notch reliability record and build quality is great too and a tranny and drivetrain you can't kill. The demise of the Montero was the price....another close to 40k Mitsu that consumer couldn't justify to spend while you can spend that much on a Lexus SUV.

I just feel that Mitsu needs to stop building a car that is "good enough" and build cars that are "better" than the competitors. Like those stupid new Toyota commercials basically marketing the phrase "Why buy a car that compares to a Toyota.....while you can just buy a Toyota". (I feel that Toyota has been a bit egotistic lately) Mitsubishi needs to stop building a car that is comparable to a competitor....build a car that the competitor has to compare to Mitsubishi.

I think the build quality is still there. The Normal, IL factory is actually quite good, and the workers actually do quite well. The problem doesn't lie in the build quality, it lies in the materials. The interiors are nice, but nearly EVERYONE here spends time painting them, installing nicer leather seats, wrapping in carbon fiber, installing nicer seats...etc...

Now I think the 9G has stepped up the material quality in recent years, but its not enough. Though you are right, a lot of people won't justify spending $40,000 on a Mitsubishi unless it says "Lancer Evolution" on the decklid. I think that is all the more reason for Mitsubishi to make some differentiation. They NEED a premium mark in the United States. That will do 2 things, 1) Show consumers that Mitsubishi is a quality mark, and 2) Give some seperation from the Mitsubishi name itself.

Lets be honest one major reason for people not buying Mitsubishi's is because of WWII. Millions are people have learned in recent years (through tv shows on discovery and history channels), that Mitsubishi built "Zeros" attacked Pearl Harbor. Or were otherwise engaged in aggressive activity towards to United States. Granted that should be a point of pride for Mitsubishi. They like General Motors and Ford both built military planes and tanks during that time. They shouldn't be slighted for supporting their country in a great time of need.

I think the cars ARE better than the competition but Mitsubishi Corporate needs to do more to accent and differentiate that fact. The Colt would be a GREAT addition to their already nice model lineup. And would no doubt stir up more excitement than the other models currently availible. Because they could have a cheap fuel efficient and cool looking car.

[G-spot]

Honda,Subaru and Mazda also don't have "premium" brands.
Honda = Acura (okay, we all know that lol)

Subaru:

Subbies doesn't have (or need) a preminum brand because the majority of its products are either boxer, awd and/or turbo. And if not turbo'ed, it still remains an awd platform. And because of that, people flock to the brand just for that benefit. For some, outdoor performance is sort of a luxury concept like how some people view the Land Rover as a luxury SUV. Mitsubishi America ALMOST had that genre clinched had they not disbanded the DSM name back in '95, thus diminishing the chance for any turbo AWD platforms on the "Normal, IL" made vehicles (except for the EVO, select 3KGT/2G).

Mazda:

Mazda Motors is kinda where Mitsu America should of been today: they're a struggling company to stay on top of the game. Unfortunately, Mazda has an upper edge on the styling department. And since their line-ups isn't as huge like the big 3 imports out there, it remains a single brand company.

If you compare Mazda USA's Mazda 6 to Mitsu America's Galant, there are considerable difference on how the two market their brand. They both market their line-up as a "race" oriented vehicles (sporty, refined, night life). But the real deal comes from design. Again, Mazda has an edge on design and the 6 really shines. It was originally meant to compete with 8g VR-4 model back in 2003 (it was called the Mazda Atenza in Japan), with AWD, turbo, 6 spd option. What really upsets me is that the corporate folks decides to bring it to the states and compete with our 9g model, then bust out a hatch version, and then cream us with an imported MS6 model (hmmm).

If this keeps going on like this, I'm going to lose faith in MMA all together. It's because of my car, the folks here on the forums, and my Team is all the love I have now. :(

[4-G-rim]

hey 4grim what is acura?


You are right man...sorry I woke up early this morning to vote.

[remarque]

Who cares if Mitsubishi built "Zeros", I doubt most people even know that. Besides Phillips Morris makes cigs and they kill people everyday, but people continue to buy their product. The reason people dont buy Mitsubishi is because they have it in their head that Hondas and Toyotas are good car. I tell people all car are good it just depends on how you take of them. I havent had a problem with my Galant since I had it

About a months ago I help one of my lady friends look for a car. The first thing she said was she wanted a Honda Accord, but she only had 2K and told her that wasnt happening. Finally we went and looked at a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage and the first thing she said was "thats my car". She ended up getting the Mirage the same day and been burning up the road ever since.

[Koncept]

I think the direction Mitsu has been taking is downhill since the 8g and the EVO8. I don't care for much in their lineup since then. Comparatively, Subaru has the STI as the 'sport racer' car, but also provides the Legacy as the 'refined cruiser' that can perform just as well. Both of these cars sell very well.
Mitsubishi on the other hand has their 'sport racer' with the EVO, but no other car in their line-up shares the powertrain, especially when they decided to go FWD and non turbo with their Eclipses. If there was a production model Galant similar to the VR-4, or at least a G that could relatively keep up with an EVO, and didn't look like a big sloppy brick, I would have stuck with Mitsu.

[4g63lover]

Honda = Acura (okay, we all know that lol)

Subaru:

Subbies doesn't have (or need) a preminum brand because the majority of its products are either boxer, awd and/or turbo. And if not turbo'ed, it still remains an awd platform. And because of that, people flock to the brand just for that benefit. For some, outdoor performance is sort of a luxury concept like how some people view the Land Rover as a luxury SUV. Mitsubishi America ALMOST had that genre clinched had they not disbanded the DSM name back in '95, thus diminishing the chance for any turbo AWD platforms on the "Normal, IL" made vehicles (except for the EVO, select 3KGT/2G).

Mazda:

Mazda Motors is kinda where Mitsu America should of been today: they're a struggling company to stay on top of the game. Unfortunately, Mazda has an upper edge on the styling department. And since their line-ups isn't as huge like the big 3 imports out there, it remains a single brand company.

If you compare Mazda USA's Mazda 6 to Mitsu America's Galant, there are considerable difference on how the two market their brand. They both market their line-up as a "race" oriented vehicles (sporty, refined, night life). But the real deal comes from design. Again, Mazda has an edge on design and the 6 really shines. It was originally meant to compete with 8g VR-4 model back in 2003 (it was called the Mazda Atenza in Japan), with AWD, turbo, 6 spd option. What really upsets me is that the corporate folks decides to bring it to the states and compete with our 9g model, then bust out a hatch version, and then cream us with an imported MS6 model (hmmm).

If this keeps going on like this, I'm going to lose faith in MMA all together. It's because of my car, the folks here on the forums, and my Team is all the love I have now. :(

you gotta remember, Mazda is pretty much completely owned by Ford. They don't need a premium brand because they are not their own company either.

[RedGalant2k1]

I think we should fire the staff of MMA and institute a grass roots campaign with TGC and GF in control.

[6G72Galant]

Bottom line, Mitsubishi needs to begin making GOOD LOOKING and AFFORDABLE cars.Its cut and dry. The 9G is ugly. And the 9.5G is just an atrocity. Enough with the ideas of making SUV's look similar to the sedans. The new Eclipse looks decent but that price is ludicrous. Especially considering the new Camaro is $22k for a base model. And id much rather rock the new Camaro over the Eclipse any day of the week.

[RedGalant2k1]

Bottom line, Mitsubishi needs to begin making GOOD LOOKING and AFFORDABLE cars.Its cut and dry. The 9G is ugly. And the 9.5G is just an atrocity. Enough with the ideas of making SUV's look similar to the sedans. The new Eclipse looks decent but that price is ludicrous. Especially considering the new Camaro is $22k for a base model. And id much rather rock the new Camaro over the Eclipse any day of the week.

So basically you are saying the Eclipse should be like the 2G, the Galant should be like the 8G in styling?

Those were the best selling designs of both cars ever.

[6G72Galant]

So basically you are saying the Eclipse should be like the 2G, the Galant should be like the 8G in styling?

Those were the best selling designs of both cars ever.

The new Lancer design shouldve have been the new Galant. And im not too sure about the Eclipse. IMO the 2G is the best looking Eclipse out of all the models. I love the Ralliart Eclipse concept, but its a concept.

If MMA had sharper designs and more reasonable prices, theyd be a serious contender. I have no issues with the reliability of the cars. For what i paid for the car, ive gotten my moneys worth!:p

[9G]

the new lancer design should still be the lancer.

[galant3jl12's]

I honestly don't think that Mitsu knows what they're doing I was considering the Evo X or a ralliart but they are both overpriced for what you get. The Eclipse is like maybe 2k too much its a little closer to where it should be. Its just the FWD in a big V6 is not going to work they need to go RWD or AWD w/ the eclipse if they want to stay competitive and continue to improve the eclipse. I actually liked the 9g ralliart appearance but then they changed it after like 2 years to this 9.5g bullshit which makes the ralliart galant look way worse. When I'm done w/ the galant that will probabay be my last mitsubishi unless they make the evo/ralliart cheaper or a have a dramatic turnaround on the galant which I doubt will happen they will probably just stop making them here in the US.