Why did Mitsubishi Motors FAIL? 

Did you know there actually was a DODGE sedan called the "Lancer" which was sold in the 80's, before Mitsubishi started selling a car with the same name, but ironically, the Mitsubishi Lancer was NOT at all related to the Dodge Lancer, even though Mitsubishi was partially owned by Chrysler? Also, even more confusingly, did you realize there was a car called the Plymouth Laser (it was a Plymouth version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse from the early 90's) but the Plymouth Laser was actually completely unrelated to the CHRYSLER "Laser" which was a twin to the Dodge Daytona during the 80's? Interestingly there were a handful of years when both the Dodge Daytona and PLYMOUTH Laser were both in production at the same time, but the "Chrysler" Laser had been phased out already. The "Chrysler" Laser and the first-generation Dodge Daytona were really NOT different at all (even though cars with the Chrysler name were usually more luxurious than their Dodge and Plymouth twins) so in a way, the PLYMOUTH Laser could be considered a "replacement" for the CHRYSLER Laser, because both "Laser" cars were affordable sports coupes which were sold at Chrysler-Plymouth dealerships, and both "Laser" cars had Dodge (Daytona) twin models sold at the usually separate Dodge dealerships (traditionally there were separate Dodge dealerships and Chrysler-Plymouth dealerships in the same towns as one another, but some very rural towns always had dealerships that sold all the Chrysler Corporation brands, including Jeep and EAGLE once Chrysler bought American Motors in the 80's, long before DaimlerChrysler started merging Dodge dealerships with Chrysler-Jeep after Plymouth was phased out in the early 2000s)

Me too

@@trentpettit6336 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪😳😳😳😳😳😳😳 Thanks I THINK !!!!!

@@matthewc.419 Huh?

@@trentpettit6336 sorry i mean it was confusing to read just how many different vehicle variations there was Thank you .

@@mightyhendo9828 the spyder is a convertible.

@@FXIIBeaver LOL someone likes their spyders, gotta love Eclipse Spyder😁

@@toliverjordan7466 personally I am a 91 fan. But the spyders look good.

absolutely. Fools in power ruined an awesome car company.

I'm driving a '91 Stealth ES right now and it's a fun little car. Not quite an RT or 3000GT but given it's age that's actually a good thing.

I still have my 99 eclipse GST Spyder and love it.

No way, what you are missing is the past actually, car is just a vehicle of your minds

Ya'll still wouldn't buy it; certainly not enough to make Mitsubishi money.

Like the FD RX-7 and S15 Silvia/200SX. Won't pass crash test regulations, 5 people will buy it, rest are buying SUVs/CUVs. 90's were the golden age for Japanese cars.

I don't know how you figure it would sell like crazy. That's highly unlikely

Ye, never thought I'd hear somebody comparing mitsubishi to Toshiba, KyoAni or Gainax

Well said ....they were some truly impressive engineers ....as Big Car said ...they had all the advantages..... but managed very poorly ...

They are also the first to go to production of a GDI engine in a car and own several patents for this technology.

Saab used Mitsubishi’s balance shaft technology as well

It's ignorant to say Mitsubishi's Traction control was a first, it wasn't. Many older cars had it, but they all used different names. I'm not sure but early 70's Oldsmobiles had something like that.

@@vulekv93 He never said it's traction control. TCL(with trace control) is essentially traction control with early version of ESP.

Ken Xiong..... Both had ties to Chrysler, the world's worst car company.

@@jeffhildreth9244 I agree. I don’t think any manufacturer has benefitted from co-ops with Chrysler. Just ask Mercedes and FIAT lol

thing is Lancia doesn't do refrigirators, elevators, construction sites and lots of other things.

@@Raikokz that’s irrelevant

At least Mitsubishi Motors still has some factories in overseas.

We had a '91 Plymouth Sundance Duster (aka Dodge Shadow) with the 3.0L Mitsubishi V6 in it. That engine wasn't hugely powerful, but in the little Plymouth, it was more than enough to get it going pretty good. It was an awesome car, too bad my sister ended up driving it into the ground (I have no idea how she accomplished that).

The L200s are crap, they break in half

@@paulie-Gualtieri. Sounds about right.

Even the L200 doesn't sell well compared with the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger. Check out pickup truck sales figures in Australia and you'll see what I mean.

Sales charts beg to disagree. That is the problem; their modern crossovers and econoboxes sell much better than any of their iconic cars.

Mitsubishi could of updated their models every year and it wouldn’t of changed much. Mitsubishi didn’t do anything well to the point that made them stand out in any market. The only reason people have nostalgia for the brand was because of the import boom in the early 2000s but once the fad ended they had no identity. The Evo, Eclipse, Lancer never sold that well.

First gen was 91-93 and the only gen with popup headlights. So if it didnt have those pop-up headlights it was second or third gen. And yes their current lineup made me sad. -source: Am gen 1 VR4 owner.

Exactly how it is lol they need to go back

@@firstname8736 I just found it in another youtube video. Was definitely a 1st gen. Was close to stock, but the owner did an HSX spoiler on the back and had me second guessing if it was in fact the old concept car (it isn't). 16:55 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3bLGuBkn9bk.html

@@firstname8736 It was definitely a first-gen. I stand corrected on the year. Thanks. It was so beautiful!!! It looked so out of place next to an econobox Mirage and the EclipseCross.

@@tetchuma dont worry about it! I just learned that in the UK they had pop-up headlights into 94 or 95, so I would have been wrong if this was in the UK! After 12 years I still have so much to learn about all the variants of my car.

.. and Cannonball Run II!

Fun fact, Jackie Chan loves the mitsubishi FTO ,so much so, every single one of his films features atleast one. He still owns one to this day

Fun Fact II: Jackie Chan was actually, really and I do mean REALLY sent to their plant in Minato for like 3 month and learnt how to wrench on cars from the Japanese mechanics straight from the factory for the movie, Thunderbolt. Fun Fact III: He was soo in love Mitsubishi that the company themselves gave him direct access to the top brass at the company where if he wants, he can call them and have access to any model that he wants, even prototypes, for his film or even to own. Fun Fact IV: He was soooo hot with Mitsubishis in fact that during somewhere around 2003-2004, he became one of the spokesperson for Ralliart China and not only that, Mitsubishi even allowed him to redesign and modify 50 special Evo IX at his own desire and sell it under his name which would become "Evo IX "Jackie Chan" Edition" which cost about 75k USD each and technically, there' 48 in the market somewhere cuz Jackie himself owns 2 of it.

@@MrLolx2u I think a lot of people don't realise how much a serious racing driver, car nut he really is

@@retrocatalog it is not his fault tbh, it is Mitsubishi fault I know it is a joke.

Bro 2 Fast 2 Furious

@@styre the irony is the import tuner scene had allready passed its peak when the first FF movie came out.

@Henry Jones True indeed, I lived in the Mid Atlantic part of the USA and the Eclipse was everywhere, a huge success at the time even in the mid 90s here. It's so odd that it seemed they just "gave up"!

I blew my sisters engine or helped greatly when I was 19. After it finally blew and replaced it, she lost control, slid sideways, road marker hit drivers side window, tires blew and the rims scooped dirt into the car at such a rate the insurance provided mech said it was a loss since he felt they’d never get all the dirt out. Just random.

I loved my eclipse@

Probably because the 80s Chargers were an affront to man and the 80-83 challenger was relatively inoffensive compared to most domestic US cars

I worked at the Dutch Nedcar plant were Volvo's and Mitsubishi's rolled of the same production line in huge numbers. We were short on staff so we the experienced staff often had to work overtime to get the cars who had failed quality inspection 100% right (scratches, paint problems, faulty parts etc.etc.) I remember we had to change all the waterpumps of cars who had a specific batch of faulty waterpumps installed on their engines. 3 big parking lots full with brandnew cars and we only had 4 lifts in the factory garage for repairs! We had to build a special garage tent outside the factory were we could repair those cars. When I look at a f.e.Mitsubishi spacestar now i just can cry how cheaply and lower quality its put together.

@@obelic71 wow fascinating to find this out, never knew how things actually went

@@jamesspeytebroodt7237 When a car is being build from the start at the press/paint shop and it goes onto the assembly line it gets a unique number and inspection filesheet. Along the way there are several fixed inspection points were every car is checked and also random cars are pulled from the production line at the end, to check if the inspections are done correct to uphold quality of the build. Cars who failed an inspection are removed from the primary production line. Most are just minor flaws who the average consumers doesn't even notice. f.e. a dustparticle, small scratch / dent or sagging in the paint. Tools on the production line are calibrated to use the right amount of torq to fasten bolts. From those random cars everything is checked till the last bolt. That quality works on the long run i still can see on the road today . Those Volvo/Mitsubishi models i was a part of in building them reach a high average lifetime. Only know after 20+ years after production they are in decline because must of them are just worn out.

@@obelic71 cheer for the fill in

Mitsubishi outlander is one of the most popular suvs since 2006 in Australasia. The current PHEV is on pre order worldwide.

They didn't care because they knew the engines and transmissions wouldn't last anyway. Worst in the Japanese industry. I think their "undercoating" was the least of their worries lol

I've got 6 mitsubishi eclipse's and they're terrible for corrosion as well, specifically the 95-99 eclipse's

How where the lancers in that aspect? I have the 04 Lancer with 135hp.

@@benni1015 No issue whatsoever. I have an 18 year old Lancer with no corrosion, same as my 22 year old Galant VR4 V6TT. And I live in a country cursed with typhoons half a year

@@JABelms that's fantastic. Also the VR4, what a wonderful car i would love to have one some day. I have some issues sadly with my lancer right now, as i have a rough idle and P0420. Might should clean the throttle control.

I rented an Eagle Talon TSI in the 90's...very cool car and fun to drive. Actually was considering a Ford Probe (I used to rent the 4 cylinder models which were just ok), but I was going to but the Probe GT with the V6 and Manual Trans. Didn't care for the lack of power ..I think it was 164 HP? It just felt slooow. Turns out the Probe wasn't all that reliable overall. Glad I got the Toyota MR2 instead! A far superior sportscar, to say the least!

i drove my 73 toyota publica 30 years 350000 km

Hi. When did you change the timing belt? Was it at the same time you rebuilt your engine?

They’re built like such shit though. I sold my ISF to get one… Hated it. Everything rattled.

Evo X is my realistic dream car. As in it's realistically obtainable. I'm saving my money but for now I'll drive my 8th gen civic Si like a peasant.

​@@blackmetal4546 lol better get one now, they won't stay realistically obtainable for long.

True 😂

Sweden has Volvo !

Saddening development when a spoiled youth are referring to fiction in lack of real life experiences... 🤔🙄

It is because our Indian Govt doesn’t want quality cars to be driven.

At least the Lancer,outlander,Pajero + Pajero Sport were good during early 2010s era

@@Maniacguy2777 what has govt to do in this?

@@gulatinimish They tax and put heavy import charges keeping those "better companies" out of the country

@@Motorsportsgeek it is same for everybody, govt doesn't put some special tax on Mitsubishi

Simon....34% owned by Nissan according to Wikipedia.

In Australia Mitsubishi were innovators. The first Magna in 1985 was the Japanese Galant widened in the middle to make it more competitive with Ford and Holden and also make anything from Toyota and Nissan irrelevant.

First I heard of it too.

The corporate change--October 2016-- was not well publicized--surely on purpose. March of 2020--bombed around the American West in a rented Outlander--loved it.

@@milksheihk Mitsubishi Australia exported cars to the UK, UAE, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand and the US. Dropping the tax on imported cars began the end of Australian manufacturing. Also government support from the rich Liberal party ended on Australia made products.

The car was complete crap.. see my earlier post about quality.. I was there, I had one or 2 as demos. Garbage.

Was your galant the VR-4?

@@mayhanamin3538 a modest 1.8glsi

The 90's Mitsubishi cars were the last of the good ones. Then came the 00's with the bloated Lancer, no more medium car after Galant and the sport cars line got an axe was when the wheel came off.

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 I think your comment may apply to most of the car industry.

Mitsubishi Australia is also the only ones to make a head for the G54b that didn't suck aside from HKS

If you need credit to buy a car you already doing something wrong.

That would be the VR4, miles ahead and almost a different car from the base model 3000GT

Aparecía en Gran Turismo 2

@@firstname8736 in the UK it was called the 3000GT

Here in NZ the 3000GT was known as the GTO. A good car but one that was destined for the trash can due to its excessive weight and thus weak performance in video games. Gamers don't like racing in heavy cars.

Thanks Pauline!

The 380 sold very cheap in New Zealand second hand, engine economy just could not out compete the Mitsubishi Hybrids across the road in provincial Waikato New Zealand.❤

Love my 380, great car.

@@perpetualgrin5804 they sure are

I loved my Magna it was 2004 VRX. I’m looking to buy a now one same model

I remember seeing Mitsubishis all over in the late 90s/early 2000s

I want to add the Mitsubishi Grandis. I owned one until last year. Then I sold the roof-racks to an Iraqi man who had also a Grandi and want to drive to Iraq. You must know that I live in the Netherlands so he was going to drive 5.000 km (3.125 miles) and back !!

Me too. 177,000 on it.

Refering to usdm here. But yes in the 90s the mirage was like in a class between classes. The mirage 1.5 competed with the tercel but the 1.8 with the corolla. It was bigger than the tercel but smaller than the corolla. It was weird to say the least.

The Sigma wagon had a simple torsion beam rear suspension, and its engine was a 12 valve unit with a meager 170 hp. It also lacked the advanced traction-control system of the Sigma limousine.

Now I'm curious. why did they name them the Japanese MB?

@@LPAGAN401 I had read this term in various contemporary German motor magazines, and in the 80s, both MB and Mitsubishi were known for introducing new technologies into serial production while maintaining high quality standards. Personally, I would rather had compared Mitsubishi with Citroen - take the exterior designs of the Cordia or the interior design of the 1987 Sapporo/Galant Sigma as examples.

I had a rental Carisma once in the days when I used to drive between Edinburgh and various English air/seaports. It was roomy, plastic-y and had the best windscreen wipers of any car I ever drove. I still own a 2008 Evo X that I bought in 2012, tuned to 400AWKW and it's f*ckin amazing.

Funny, because the Carisma was built in the Netherlands, together with the Volvo S40, and the Dutch reviews and public opinion were lukewarm at best.

@Watch Geek Funny seeing You here. The love for watches and cars often goes hand in hand it seems..

@@e28forever30 haha true 😁 I'll be doing a giveaway tomorrow as I passed 110K subs, so make sure not to miss it 😉

@Alexander Ratisbona wipers.

@Sly Rax I absolutely love my Outlander. And I bought it used just by accident, it pulled on the lot just as I was pulling out of the lot and I said oh well I'll take a look at it, may as well not waste his entire day. It's been one of the best vehicles I've ever owned if not the best

Same! They felt so special compared to the drivel sold in the uk at the time.

Had three in all love it still...

Still got one, the sound, lightness. Nothing like it at all, annoys me when people say it's "just a front wheel drive eclipse" totally wrong, it's actually higher in the line up than any eclipse, hence the totally unique chassis

@@MegaGEZZZ do you sell your fto

Same there current range is all crossovers and really underpowered mirages. Such a shame this is my 3rd mitsu.

yes 三菱 3 diamond

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also builds the Type 10 Main Battle Tank, Japan's most advanced ground tracked vehicle.

True, but Mitsubishi Motors was a separate entity that only focused on vehicles.

My first Video Recorder was a Mitsubishi. A decade before that my friends parents had a Mitsubishi TV. Thinking about it my first proper PC was a Mitsubishi Apricot (Apricot being a British company they bought out)

The Mitsubishi conglomerate (led by one of the largest banks in the world) continues in other venues, but those have they turned their backs on the Auto division for pretty much the 21st Century. Figure the conglomerate thing happens elsewhere in Japan (Toyota, Honda, Sony...) and in South Korea (LG, Samsung...). They want to be NUMBER ONE IN EVERYTHING.

​@@syxepop From 1998 to 2000 you could buy a Samsung car. You still can but they are now a subsidiary of Renault. Yet another South Korean conglomerate was Daewoo. Their car business ended up being sold to GM.

don’t forget STRADA. It’s still no. 2 best selling pickup truck in the philippines as well as of 2021

Agreed Mistubishi is also second in Bangladesh Selling huge amount of units or pajero sports,lancet ex,xpander and outlander Also the outlander and pajero is used as a govt issued vehicle for the govt employees in Bangladesh I own a xpander and a pajero and i am very satisfied with the quality

Hi I have the last survivor 1983 COLT Cordia turbo in the UK red a60syw MOT and taxed on the road shame it wasn't mentioned thanks Mick.

Well maybe Hyundai (some models). Kia is still trash.

@@cactuslietuva yeah I was thinking Hyundai. The AA did recovery for them under warranty and never attended any apparently.

Toyota GR Corolloa, GR86, new Supra MT, new Z...all Japanese companies and all making some of the best enthusiasts cars...

@@cactuslietuva .... Hyundai and Kia are one in the same... Just like Chevy and Cadillac...

Kan het wel begrijpen. De Jappen kampen waren verschrikkelijk. En een toch wel vergeten stuk geschiedenis.

In Australia the Sigma was super popular & were everywhere. Their familiarity was only equaled by their unreliability & fall apart, part failure reputation. Total sh*tbox!

Here's another thing apart from survivors at motorshows I cannot recall seeing a Sigma driving around on the road for more than 20 years & I'm a car guy who notices 60s, 70s & 80s cars on the roads when I see them. They just didn't last unlike Holden's, Nissan's, Fords did that I occasionally still see driving around

Before you right them off the new Pajero Sport is although looking smaller the Mighty Pajero it is a good update for your current car. The same towing capacity, and a newer more vibrant motor, based on the mighty Triton its a great all round car.

@@stephanburgess654 heard decent things about them. Their motor is less powerful than the og Paj though

A pity in New Zealand that the 3 litre Mk1 Outlander had been dropped in favour of 2 litre / 2.4 litre / hybrid only. My 3 litre is a great towing / cruising car and consequently kept it, with sunroof, full electrics / cruise control / roof racks. I understand the Outlander in Australia makes a popular rental car choice. Thanks for your story. ❤

loved the first gen starion was on my wish list , than the 3000gtr did like the last gen evo I see a 2015 lancer seadn with awc kinda of a under the radar car

They made engines in Lonsdale SA.

​@@ditroia2777 True that!. Between the hills hoist washing line factory and oil refinery. Bodies made at Tonsley Park just down the road. where they used to build Chrysler Valiants.

The next generation unfortunately will share the underpinnings of Nissan as does the current new Outlander. Both are still review as superior to Nissan in many countries. Mitsubishi Japan have just revealed the lates EK range of Electric K Cars which they also rebadge as Nissan. Mitsubishi have been building small cars for Nissan for many years and also includes the larger vans based around the old L300 series. Which is still available new in some Asian countries?

American runs NATO. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qXfQ_Rz70vg.html

Agree, I had the Sportback Ralliart, amazing car with 240 bhp. Never had a moments trouble with it and regret to this day selling it.

What you mean they are leaving our market I don’t think they are I love Mitsubishi that’s all I have ever bought I have had 2 lancers 2011 and 2013 and 2 Outlanders a 2013 spot and 2019 SEL loved all three products

@@matthewreed1078 they've left the UK market and are going to aftersales and dealer repairs now here :/. The irony is the last generation of Outlander was one of the most successful launches in a long time but clearly wasn't enough to keep them afloat here. They've been in trouble for a while so we were one of the first markets to be cut

@@h4rold948 I’m so sorry to here that I loved my Mitsubishi cars and suvs I have had in the past

No way, a 2009 car starts every time :OOO

my 1.5 turbo did very poor on warm restarts and fluddet the engine. u had to crank the engine for a goor 30 sec to get it running. maybe the fact it was a software development car for a rally cup may have had a thing or 2 to do with it. 198BHP and 280NM from 3500 to 5500 and a flat hp curve from 5500 to 6500. a dialed back ESP made it slide like a mad man. top speed was 210KPH because of hitting the rev limits in 5th. did have a nice blue cone coming out of the tail pipe wail doing it. a fuel consumption of 2 KM per liter meant i did not do that often. only during trips to the neurberg ring. i miss that car.

@@kuba2499 why not?

@@Shabbe02 I mean, it's a weird flex. Of course a fucking 2009 starts every time. It's a modern car.

@@SoYFooD2 It definitely was a software/remap issue, cause i've owned a completely stock 2007 1.5T Colt CZT for ~8 years now and it's ALWAYS started every time, every day on the first try while i've had it.. Hardly a faultless car though, it burned up the electric steering column(which cost like 14000DKK(~$2000) to replace and the gear linkages were almost seized when i initially got the car, recently the onboard computer display is also toast, though it makes no difference to driveablity or operability. Overall the best car I've ever owned though, fast and reliable to a fault.. Shame it's such a fuel hog though. it should be like 6,7L/100km but in reality it's more like 9.5-10.5L/100km 😓 (This video was 100% spot on when claiming Mitsubishi lied through their teeth on fuel consumption figures)

They're sales are actually slowly climbing up, in Asia, they sell well, they're literally second to Toyota in sales in some areas in Asia.

He gets quite a few of the names wrong in this video.

The same pronunciation was adopted in New Zealand

I'm in UK and I pronounced it GaLANT too.

Yup, it was marketed as the "gahLAHNT" here in the US too.

Trust the Aussies to not know how to speak properly....

It came up as a special model then separated to be own model.