Mitsubishi to shut Australia plant

I guess this was going to happen one day......

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a2qySZ_ya780&refer=australia

As soon as I hear the term "big six" I immediately think "1980's" since that's the most recent time they were a growth product. Why on earth Aussie car makers insist on producing gas guzzling, outdated vehicles is beyond me. Trying to stay viable in that game is like trying to make your fortune in CRT TV's, acid wash jeans or kero heaters. WAY behind the times.

Performance cars, economical 4 cylinders, diesels, SUV's, just about anything is growing except the old fashioned "big six" sedan.

At least they could have called the 380 the 360 and got a bit more attention. Or made it 380kW and got a LOT more attention. Both of those ought to have been pretty simple to do. Instead they churn out a bland, outdated concept and wonder why it's not selling. Hmm... now let me see...

Smurf1976 said:

Instead they churn out a bland, outdated concept and wonder why it's not selling. Hmm... now let me see...

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Yep, you have to blame their design people. All the hype but they dont deliver. The new Lancer looks pretty nice but I guess they dont make them in Australia.

Our Govt has thrown heaps of money at them, and every few months we get the same 'closure' story.

Just make a car that people will want to buy.....

My condolences to any employee here in Australia....

Nothing worse than being made redundant... For the record, whilst they aren't the sexiest car, the Mitsibushi's IMO are the cheapest and most reliable cars I have ever have.... we have a Magna at the moment, reliable as they come......

Wonder what will be done with the land..... I smell a new land development...

Cheers

Yep, well a bit sad, but hey - if none likes their cars, then what is the point?

What was that 380 all about - looked terrible, way too bug and ugly. The only Mitsubishi I ever had was a company car - a Mitsubishi Colt back in about 1988 - it was OK

I guess a 10 year warranty is pretty handy though with the 380 ....

I currently have a Mazda RX7 1992 model and to me, it is still way cool. In comparison for a Japanese manufacturer, Mazda have it all over Mitsubishi. The Mazda products look better, they have a better range, better colours, better technology and a name that is easier to spell !

Bit sad for all those losing their jobs and also sad to see a good company not succeding.

roland said:

I guess a 10 year warranty is pretty handy though with the 380 ....

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Really!? First time I'd ever heard of there being a 10 year warranty. Talk about lack of proper marketing...

Smurf1976 said:

Really!? First time I'd ever heard of there being a 10 year warranty. Talk about lack of proper marketing...

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I have a 380, the warranty is 5x5, the extra 5 is non transferable, power train only and limited to 160k -

I notice the Police in Qld seem to have purchased a heap of them(unmarked).

Mitsubishi chassis designers must be either drunk or designing the new models in the dark. talk about aesthetically challenged! the colt convertible is the perfect example of this! what a horror show

I just love it when closet experts come out to talk cars
Anyway,

reece55 said:

the Mitsibushi's IMO are the cheapest and most reliable cars I have ever have.... we have a Magna at the moment, reliable as they come......

Cheers

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Cant agree more with that, in fact most Jap cars are like that.

roland said:

I guess a 10 year warranty is pretty handy though with the 380 ....

I currently have a Mazda RX7 1992 model and to me, it is still way cool. In comparison for a Japanese manufacturer, Mazda have it all over Mitsubishi. The Mazda products look better, they have a better range, better colours, better technology and a name that is easier to spell !
Bit sad for all those losing their jobs and also sad to see a good company not succeding.
.

Click to expand...

Talk about bias. I agree that the Mazda RX7 are a nice car and your particular series was the best of them (the rest IMO left a bit to be desired) but you can't tell me they are better than the Evo's, any of them in fact.
Also, your talking like Mitsubishi have not succeeded in Australia, Wrong! their Australian built car has not succeeded. I would also like to hear what you mean when you said Mazda's have better 'technology'?

I think that Jap cars (no matter what make) deliver some of the best affordable automobiles out there and I think that Ford and Holden will really have to lift their game to keep up, especially Holden. As Smurf pointed out, they are behind the in the game and they cant continue to ignore this.
There just seems to be this whole culture in Australia about building 6's and big 8's that I just don't get. I mean sure there is a place for them but the emphasis need to start drifting towards smaller engine capacity cars.
Of course the V8 Supercar series is a driver of the consumption of the big vehicles in Australia, these cars are somewhat glorified and alot of kids are bought up thinking that they are the be all and end all of cars, I certainly got that impression when I was younger... but if any REAL car enthusiast looks back to when Jap cars were racing along side them they would realise that Ford and Holden had, and (IMO) still have nothing. This is the reason Jap makes were kicked out and the reason the V8 Supercar series recently decided against even considering letting either Mitsubishi or Toyota have a crack at the series, Why? because they knew that they would be likely to get their arses kicked!!! And we just couldn't have Ford and Holden fall from grace could we now.

To back up my point, next time you see the performance car series listed in your TV guide (I think its on ch7) watch it! It will open your eyes This series has a heap of different cars is it, just to name a few... Holden V8's, Fords V8's, Nissan 200sx (4 cyl Turbo), Mitsubishi Evo's (4 cyl turbo), Lotus elise (NA 4 Cyl) etc.
In this series the cars have to basically be standard cars with no major modifications made to them, so it is a true test to see what cars perform the best on the track. Long story short, I have watched it a fair few times and almost every time the Mitsubishi Evolutions won (there are a few in the series) leaving the V8 holden and Fords for dead. There was one I watched where the Holden beat the leading Evo but only because the Evo got a punctured tyre on the last lap.

Smaller engine capacity cars can deliver the same things as big gas guzzlers but there needs to be more investment into this area to make it happen anyway this will all be irrelevant when I'm 70 and were driving around in zero emission cars that produce more power than todays cars.

Cheers

Edit (shameless plug):
After performance parts or accessories? we have access to over 25000 parts click the link below.:

The Mint Man said:

I just love it when closet experts come out to talk cars
Anyway,

Cant agree more with that, in fact most Jap cars are like that.


Talk about bias I agree that the Mazda RX7 are a nice car and your particular series was the best of them (the rest IMO left a bit to be desired) but you can't tell me they are better than the Evo's, any of them in fact.
Also, your talking like Mitsubishi have not succeeded in Australia, Wrong! their Australian built car has not succeeded. I would also like to hear what you mean when you said Mazda's have better 'technology'?

I think that Jap cars (no matter what make) deliver some of the best affordable automobiles out there and I think that Ford and Holden will really have to lift their game to keep up, especially Holden. As Smurf pointed out, they are behind the in the game and they cant continue to ignore this.
There just seems to be this whole culture in Australia about building 6's and big 8's that I just don't get. I mean sure there is a place for them but the emphasis need to start drifting towards smaller engine capacity cars.
Of course the V8 Supercar series is a driver of the consumption of the big vehicles in Australia, these cars are somewhat glorified and alot of kids are bought up thinking that they are the be all and end all of cars, I certainly got that impression when I was younger... but if any REAL car enthusiast looks back to when Jap cars were racing along side them they would realise that Ford and Holden had, and (IMO) still have nothing. This is the reason Jap makes were kicked out and the reason the V8 Supercar series recently decided against even considering letting either Mitsubishi or Toyota have a crack at the series, Why? because they knew that they would be likely to get their arses kicked!!! And we just couldn't have Ford and Holden fall from grace could we now.

To back up my point, next time you see the performance car series listed in your TV guide (I think its on ch7) watch it! It will open your eyes This series has a heap of different cars is it, just to name a few... Holden V8's, Fords V8's, Nissan 200sx (4 cyl Turbo), Mitsubishi Evo's (4 cyl turbo), Lotus elise (NA 4 Cyl) etc.
In this series the cars have to basically be standard cars with no major modifications made to them, so it is a true test to see what cars perform the best on the track. Long story short, I have watched it a fair few times and almost every time the Mitsubishi Evolutions won (there are a few in the series) leaving the V8 holden and Fords for dead. There was one I watched where the Holden beat the leading Evo but only because the Evo got a punctured tyre on the last lap.

Smaller engine capacity cars can deliver the same things as big gas guzzlers but there needs to be more investment into this area to make it happen anyway this will all be irrelevant when I'm 70 and were driving around in zero emission cars that produce more power than todays cars.

Cheers

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"Biased" ????, yes of course and proud of it, reading between my invisble lines, my comments were tongue in cheek.

Better technology ? Nothing beats a rotary engine for pure genius in a motor vehicle.

roland said:

Better technology ? Nothing beats a rotary engine for pure genius in a motor vehicle.

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Agreed, but the pistons, cams and rods are like glass in those things.... always breaking at the first sign of a bit of boost.

Cheers

The Mint Man said:

Agreed, but the pistons, cams and rods are like glass in those things.... always breaking at the first sign of a bit of boost.

Cheers

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mmmm, we don't have pistons, rods and such - and I've never broken anything in the engine.

Just for those who are interested:

Wankel engines have several major advantages over reciprocating piston designs, in addition to having higher output for similar displacement and physical size.

Wankel engines are considerably simpler and contain far fewer moving parts. For instance, because valving is accomplished by simple ports cut into the walls of the rotor housing, they have no valves or complex valve trains; in addition, since the rotor is geared directly to the output shaft, there is no need for connecting rods, a conventional crankshaft, crankshaft balance weights, etc. The elimination of these parts not only makes a Wankel engine much lighter (typically half that of a conventional engine of equivalent power), but it also completely eliminates the reciprocating mass of a piston engine with its internal strain and inherent vibration due to repeated acceleration and deceleration, producing not only a smoother flow of power but also the ability to produce more power by running at higher rpm.

In addition to the enhanced reliability by virtue of the complete removal of this reciprocating stress on internal parts, the engine is constructed with an iron rotor within a housing made of aluminium, which has greater thermal expansion. This ensures that even a severely overheated Wankel engine cannot seize, as would likely occur in an overheated piston engine. This is a substantial safety benefit in aircraft use since no valves can burn out.

A further advantage of the Wankel engine for use in aircraft is the fact that a Wankel engine can have a smaller frontal area than a piston engine of equivalent power. The simplicity of design and smaller size of the Wankel engine also allows for savings in construction costs, compared to piston engines of comparable power output. Due to a 50% longer stroke duration compared to a four stroke engine, there is more time to complete the combustion. This leads to greater suitability for direct injection.

Of perhaps the most importance is that Wankel engines are almost immune to catastrophic failure. A Wankel that loses compression, cooling or oil pressure will lose a large amount of power, and will die over a short period of time, however it will usually continue to produce some power during that time. Piston engines under the same circumstances are prone to seizing or breaking parts that almost certainly results in complete internal destruction of the engine and instant loss of power. For this reason Wankel engines are very well suited to aircraft.

Japanese cars are affordable and reliable, however European cars will always be superior in terms of refinement, sophistication and badge appeal. admittedly they do cost a lot more so I guess it is all relative.

I have to agree that cars like the Evo and the WRX and skyline GTR are incredibly fast - but lets be honest, they look rubbish, unless your 10 years old!

roland said:

mmmm, we don't have pistons, rods and such - and I've never broken anything in the engine.

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I hope your joking and expecting me to read between the lines again (which are not there). Otherwise you should take your own advice and see the in my last post.
Also it is often advised that when you post someones words, as I suspect you have done above, that you give them credits for that.
Anyway the above is good general advise for people wondering about the difference between a conventional engine and a rotary, otherwise known as a chicken spit cooker

imajica said:

Japanese cars are affordable and reliable, however European cars will always be superior in terms of refinement, sophistication and badge appeal. admittedly they do cost a lot more so I guess it is all relative.

I have to agree that cars like the Evo and the WRX and skyline GTR are incredibly fast - but lets be honest, they look rubbish, unless your 10 years old!

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Yes I agree thats why I made the 'affordable' in bold in one of my above posts. I was not taking anything else into account. However I still do like Evo's.

Cheers

I own an mitsubishi lancer and it gives me no problems at all. but it made in Jap. I donot think quality is a issure. It just outdated. bye-bye 380

The Mint Man said:

I just love it when closet experts come out to talk cars
:

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But if people don't (want to) buy the product, why persist in making it?

I actually like the 380. I think it is better styled than it's local competition anyway. But it is hard to compete in a V6 culture that really only has enough room for Ford and Holden, with Toyota appealing to the buyer not fussed by either (a conservative buyer normally who wouldn't try other brands). The 380 to me is between these two extremes and is priced well just doesn't have a market.

The Wankel engines are not as predominant today because they do have some downsides that limit efficiency. In practice they are less efficient than pistol engines but that margin has improved a little with the new RX-8.

aleckara said:

I actually like the 380. I think it is better styled than it's local competition anyway. But it is hard to compete in a V6 culture that really only has enough room for Ford and Holden, with Toyota appealing to the buyer not fussed by either (a conservative buyer normally who wouldn't try other brands). The 380 to me is between these two extremes and is priced well just doesn't have a market.

The Wankel engines are not as predominant today because they do have some downsides that limit efficiency. In practice they are less efficient than pistol engines but that margin has improved a little with the new RX-8.

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You are right, the rotary is a guzzler, we have 2 x cataytic converters to deal with the emissions. The exhaust manifold glows red hot from the engine gas temperature which in turn helps with post exhaust fuel burn, without the cats the RX7 will throw a flame from the exhaust

roland said:

You are right, the rotary is a guzzler, we have 2 x cataytic converters to deal with the emissions. The exhaust manifold glows red hot from the engine gas temperature which in turn helps with post exhaust fuel burn, without the cats the RX7 will throw a flame from the exhaust

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And that is why a turbo is ideal, used to have an RX4 if the points went on the thing you couldn't put your feet on the floor from the heat. Thing went like the clappers thou

Too bad they are shutting down (is it confirmed yet?)

I own a Magna VRX and love it... fuel economy is fair compared to the Falcon and Commodores.

Oh well... might as well close another chapter in a very sad story... kinda like a stop loss in trading... why continue to trading a lossing battle?