As 2012 winds to an end, AutoGuide looks back at all the vehicles that received the axe this year, some that will be missed, while others surely won’t be.
Starting it off is the Acura ZDX, a crossover that had a very tough time breaking into the market. Priced at around $51,815 including delivery, the ZDX was hardly a hot seller for the Japanese automaker, and it’s clear that Acura can’t wait to move forward from it.
Each year various models of vehicles are discontinued, and with 2013 around the corner, it’s worth taking a moment to see which vehicles we won’t be seeing on dealership lots starting next year.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution might be the Japanese brand’s highest performance model but the most recognizable model it’s produced over the past several decades is easily the Eclipse. Axed from the company’s lineup this year the Eclipse could return admits Greg Adams, Mitsubishi Motors North America VP of marketing.
Of the two, don’t look for the Eclipse to return any time soon, with Adams commenting that sporty cars in this category have peaked. So far this year sales are up by 105.4 percent, although at 6,721 units that’s just a fraction of the car’s all time sales high of over 72,000 units in 2002. In total, the car has accounted for just shy of one million units over its lifetime.
The Eclipse was axed this year along with the Endeavor SUV and Galant mid-size sedan when the automaker announced plans to close its plant in Normal, Illinois. While having a mid-size sedan on offer in North America seems like a no-brainer, Adams says that for the most part demand for such cars is limited to North America. “If we can make the numbers work between this market and other markets, we need to take a look at it,” he said.
Adams did not comment on any possible product sharing arrangement with Nissan. The two Japanese automakers did sign an agreement last year to work together on development of mini-cars, and most recently announced that in Japan Mitsubishi would sell a rebadged version of the Infiniti M.
With larger vehicles axed from the brand’s lineup, Mitsubishi is continuing on with its Lancer and Outlander models and has added the Outlander Sport crossover over the past year with a goal of reaching the 100,000 sales mark. So far this year North American sales have reach just over 60,000 units, a 65% increase and a sign of a brighter future for Mitsubishi.
[Source: WardsAuto]
Mitsubishi certainly had a great run with its sporty Eclipse model, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The last Eclipse ever produced will be auctioned off by Mecum as a 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe SE with a 3.8L V6. It is a special-edition Eclipse custom built by Mitsubishi Motors North America to commemorate the Eclipse’s 22-year run and will be auctioned off September 15-18th, 2011 at the St. Charles Auction with all the proceeds being donated to Japan’s Red Cross earthquake relief.
The one-of-a-kind Eclipse features a Kalapana Black paint scheme on the outside, which was selected by Mitsubishi’s Facebook fans, 18-inch Dark Argent wheels, SE lower side graphics, sunroof, leather interior, a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate 9-speaker audio system with SiriusXM, hands-free Bluetooth, rearview camera and HID headlights.
“Our goal with this Mitsubishi Eclipse SE was to create a very special car that would best honor the closing of this vehicle families’ chapter, built at our Normal, Illinois facility,” said Greg Adams, VP Marketing & Product Planning at Mitsubishi Motors North America. “We believe this one-off 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse SE will become a highly collectible automobile, and we are excited to work with Mecum Auctions to offer it to collectors at their high-energy events.”
The iconic Eclipse has sold over 980,000 cars since production started 22 years ago and makes the Eclipse the best-selling Japanese brand sports car in the last 20 years (if you consider the Eclipse a sports car that is.)
This author has a confession to make. Out of all the testosterone-laden, Ad-riddled, motorized-wet-dream action of the Fast and Furious franchise, I’ve only seen the fourth one—and it’s rather beside the point to say that it wasn’t very good.
Not even the first movie of the franchise, which at this point has become basically an icon of the car enthusiast movement—the part of the group that thinks it’s cool to add wings to small Japanese hatchbacks and enough stickers to make the inventor of the Bedazzler feel underappreciated. Case in point: this fine selection of vehicles, fresh from the Universal Studios impound lot, that have recently surfaced on Autotrader. They represent the entire range of The Fast and the Furious franchise: The Fast and the Furious, 2Fast 2Furious, Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, and the upcoming Fast 5, which is just as fast but has toned down the furiousness. Still plenty of Vin Diesel, though.
The cars include an Acura Integra GS-R, a Nissan 240SX drift car, Tyrese’s Mitsubishi Eclipse from 2Fast 2Furious, the beat-up Monte Carlo from Tokyo Drift, and even a stunt replica of the F-Bomb Camaro from Fast and Furious, which Vin Diesel wheelies into a bad guy’s chest. If the rest of the series packs such hilariously over-the-top badguy-killing destruction involving Mr. Diesel, I may finally get around to checking out the earlier, awesome, meme-tastic films. Danger to the manifold!
[Source: Autotrader]
Mitsubishi is killing both its Endeavor crossover and Eclipse coupe and convertible due to slow sales, with both vehicles scheduled to die off in August.
The Endeavor never found much love amongst car buyers, but the Eclipse has a long history in the performance car segment, even if its moved further away from its original formula with each generation. Mitsubishi also announced the end of their famous Lancer Evolution sports car, and will eventually trim their model lineup to the Lancer, Outlander, Outlander Sport and Galant. Mitsubishi will also introduce the all electric i in limited numbers in late 2011.
Mitsubishi‘s American plant will transition from making less-than-thrilling cars like the Eclipse and Endeavor SUV to producing vehicles for the global market.
The transition will occur in 2014 as part of its new business plan. The vehicles will share a common platform with the Lancer compact car and Outlander crossover. Along with the Eclipse and Endeavor, the Galant mid-size sedan will also be axed.
Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko said that an onslaught of all-new product will be made available to replace the discontinued vehicles. Osamu was vague with details but said that the “global small car” previewed this month would make it, along with the fully electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which would inexplicably be called “i powered by MiEV” in America. In addition to the i-MiEV, Mitsubishi is hoping to launch 8 EVs or plug-in hybrids by 2016.
[Source: Automotive News]
We regret to inform you that the subject matter behind the enticing title won’t live up to whatever thoughts are circulating in your head. Rather, Forbes’ list of “Americas Dirtiest Vehicles” has to do with pollution and gas mileage, and is mostly comprised of cars we ourselves would want to own.
Forbes used a variety of factors to determine what qualified for the list, with both carbon emissions and fuel consumption factoring in to the economy. “Heavy Duty” trucks were left off the list, as well performance cars that only get driven on special occasions, like the Ferrari 599 GTO (and, apparently, Mercedes’ AMG lineup).
Hit the jump to see the list for yourself
[Source: Forbes]
Last time we reported on Honda CR-Z sales numbers, we got a few incredulous comments from readers who couldn’t seem to fathom why anyone would want Honda’s hybrid/sports car mashup. But the numbers are in and it looks like the CR-Z is actually finding a customer base.
According to a breakdown of September sales figures by blogger and analyst Timothy Cain, the CR-Z sold 1236 units last month, up from 694 in August, a figure that many dismissed as a result of initial enthusiasm for the car. Furthermore, the CR-Z outsold some blue chip sport compacts like the Volkswagen GTI, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Mazda MX-5.
The CR-Z’s strong numbers suggest that consumers are attracted to the idea of a hybrid car in a sporty wrapper, and that figures like horsepower, 0-60 times and lateral gs aren’t the Holy Grail of motoring for many.
[Source: Good Car, Bad Car]
While we have no problems commending the efforts of those who think outside the box, we have to admit we threw up a tad when we spotted this Mitsubishi Eclipse. And as much as we want to criticize this build, we have to give the owner some kudos for really overhauling the car in order to support the gigantic wheels and tires. In fact, he completely modified the car’s suspension in order to fit the 28-inch wheels on it.
And our donk-obsessed owner doesn’t plan on stopping there, with dreams in installing an LS1 V8 under the hood.
While we hate to criticize creativity, we feel like a donk’ed out Eclipse is just downright silly. Does it garner attention? Surely. But there’s a good reason no one has done this before.
[Source: Tampa Bay Sports Car Examiner]
Check out the video after the jump
Mitsubishi‘s mid-size offerings, already long in the tooth and outdated, may have to soldier on to 2013, after which point they will be unceremoniously executed as Mitsubishi shifts its focus from heavy, lumbering mid-size cars to small vehicles and electric powertrains.
Mitsubishi is currently lacking in capital, and is investing all of its cash in the development of a new global small car, that is slated to be production-ready by late 2012. Until then, the U.S. Mitsubishi range will undergo no changes, save for the introduction of the Outlander Sport and iMIEV.
With no mainstream product in sight for another years, it will be a tough road for Mitsubishi to keep selling cars in the United States as the competition gets better and better.
[Source: Autoweek]
