Mitsubishi kicks diamante and montero to the scrap heep

[Mante]

Frankly after the 92-95 body style I have never looked at the diamante since, loose of power due to mitsubishi deciding to step away from the same powerplant of the 3000gt...doah Anywayz onto the quote... Thanks autoweek.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>
(08:30 July 27, 2004)
Mitsubishi eliminates slow sellers; Diamante, Montero Sport to be axed


By KATHY JACKSON | Automotive News Â*

LOS ANGELES -- Mitsubishi Motors America Inc. will scrap its slow-selling Diamante sedan and five-seat Montero Sport SUV at the end of the 2004 model year. Â*

The larger seven-seat Montero will be removed from the lineup after the 2006 model year. Financially strapped Mitsubishi can't afford to upgrade the big Montero to meet new safety and emissions standards, according to a company source. Â*

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi will delay some purchases of new four-cylinder engines built at a joint venture in Dundee, Mich. with Hyundai Motor Co. and the Chrysler group. The cutbacks are part of some cost-cutting measures announced by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Japan as it tries to recover from heavy losses. Â*

Mitsubishi spokeswoman Dotty Diemer confirmed cancellation of the Diamante and Montero Sport. The company would not comment on the Montero or the new engines. Â*

"We now have the Galant GTS, so we felt it didn't make sense to keep (Diamante)," she says. Â*

The Diamante, long Mitsubushi's flagship sedan, ranges in price from $25,594 to $28,214. The Galant GTS sedan sells for $26,292. All prices include a $595 destination fee. Â*

The five-seat, four-door Montero Sport comes in two models equipped with either two-wheel or four-wheel drive. Â*

The Montero Sport's demise had long been rumored but dealers contacted say they didn't know the Diamante was going, too. Â*

"It (Diamante) hasn't been selling well, but when you're biting, kicking and scratching for sales, you need every car you can get," says Al Gossett, owner of Gossett Mitsubishi in Memphis, Tenn. Â*

Mitsubishi's U.S. sales have been falling for months. Sales were down 26.7 percent to 101,802 through June compared to the first half of 2003. Â*

Diamante sales peaked at 25,267 in 1993 but were just 9,174 in 2003. Â*

The Montero Sport's best year was 2000, with 66,375 sales. Sales totaled 20,306 last year. Â*

Sales of the seven-seat Montero were 3,180 through June, down 26.6 percent from the first half of 2003. Â*

"The big Montero is a small number, too," Gossett says. "But at least it gives us a player in the full-sized SUV segment." Â*

With the loss of Diamante and Montero Sport, U.S. dealers will have four car nameplates and three trucks to sell in 2005. Â*

The Diamante is built at Mitsubishi's plant in Okazaki, Japan. The Montero and Montero Sport are produced in Sakahogi, Japan. Â*

Mitsubishi will delay some purchases of four-cylinder engines produced at Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance, the Dundee joint venture. Â*

A company source says the redesigned 2007 Outlander will have only a 3.0-liter V-6, not the new 2.4- liter four-cylinder engine to be built in Dundee. The Galant also will not get the new 2.4-liter powertrain. Â*

He says the redesigned 2008 Lancer will have the 2.4-liter engine when it goes on sale in the summer of 2007. Â*

But he says it will not receive the new Dundee-built 2.0-liter engine until about six months after its debut because of spending cuts.

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[Mante]

I especially like the statement that <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>"We now have the Galant GTS, so we felt it didn't make sense to keep (Diamante)," she says.</div>

now correct me if Im wrong, but didnt the 9gen galant rank LAST in its class??? Taking bets that Mitsu will go under in less then 10 years.

[pinoyesv6]

i knew about the montero sport. because the endeavour was supposed to replace that. but the diamante and the motero?? i know the galant got bigger and makes around the same hp as the diamante but i was hoping for a better diamante. 4wd or turbo or something like that. you know the magna.

[marktheblake]

This news release by Mitsubishi USA is much the same that was released in Australia months ago. Our locally manufactured version of the Diamante, is the Magna and that has also been announced it will cease and a new version of the Galant (longer wheel base) will replace it - which will be designed and built in Australia., and possibly the USA will manufacture the AU design.

Read this thread and news link here https://www.thegalantcenter.org/viewt...pic.php?t=25034

However the announcemnt of the new Global R&D facility came before the more recent news that Mistubishi is implementing cutbacks in Australia - so I do not know what impact that will have on the next gen Galant.

[Ikudni]

I'm glad they killed the Diamante... that new redesign of the front end sucks.. the magna was hot though.

[4g63lover]

i hate this type of news cuz since i was like twelve, ive worked on evos eclipses and montero sports, personally to me mitsubishi is the best manufacturer... juz because love the 4g63 powerplant and the evo and eclipse line-ups... i dunno if mitsubishi goes under might as well work on a bike or sumthing but to think about it atleast we still have nissan. but if mitsu goes down it will never be the same

[eu4ia]

actually the magna(Diamante) is dead all together in australia, the replacement code named PS41 is being built on the Galant Platform , over 75% of the car has been redesign in australia for the australian market as well as around about 300 million dollars spent on the project.

http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/news_...ps41-engine.htm


http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/portal/alia...topDefault.aspx

http://www.engineeredtoexcite.com.au/