Mitsubishi Mirage

Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corporation who carry out operations in India along with Hindustan Motors is itching to expand its presence in the country - which at the moment is limited to the SUV segment and that too, includes only two models - the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Montero SUV. The company axed the Cedia, Evo X and the Outlander from the Indian market in June last year due to poor sales. Not just that, but the Japanese automaker also suffers heavily from not having a respectable number of service outlets and dealerships. The company at the moment is hoping to increase sales and volume through existing products and then, address its service and network issues. And one of the sure short ways to increase its presence in the country is to foray into the lucrative small car segment. Mitsubishi is hoping to do just that - even at the risk of losing its long time Indian partner, Hindustan Motors. What they have in mind is their global hatchback, the Mitsubishi Mirage that was presented for the first time at the 2012 Thailand Motor Show. The company at this time is studying the feasibility of rolling out the Mirage hatch in the Indian market. But we reckon, we won’t get to see any activity from the Japanese firm before 2016 at least. If and when it does, the Mirage hatchback will directly rival the likes of Honda Brio, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Hyundai i10. Furthermore, Mitsubishi is also considering to set up a factory to manufacture Mirage in either Malaysia, Thailand or India, which will then, act as an export hub to the rest of the Asian markets. However, a concrete decision is still pending. No diesel variant of the Mirage hatchback is on offer anywhere in the world. And this could prove to be disastrous for the Indian market, which is biased towards the diesel fuel due to it comparatively low cost than petrol.

Powering the Mitsubishi Mirage in the international markets is a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that churns out 77PS of max power with a mileage of 22 kmpl. The engine comes mated to a 5-Speed CVT gearbox. The car also features start-stop system, which further enhances the car’s mileage numbers. The Mirage that is currently on sale in the Thai market has been equipped with tons of comfort, entertainment and safety features including, ABS and EBD.

*Disclaimer: The date of launch is tentative and purely based on the information received from OEMs. Autoportal will not be responsible for any discrepancy and delay with the launch dates.