"hate'em" <barts_aus@bigpond.com> wrote in
news:z7Bpk.28853$IK1.2000@news-server.bigpond.net.au:
> http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-dep...d-mitsubishi/2
> 008/02/05/1202090417845.html
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They are right!
The car that killed Mitsubishi
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February 6, 2008
It was supposed to take on the Commodore and Falcon. Instead,
Mitsubishi's 380 sedan has led to the demise of the Japanese car giant's
Adelaide plant. Ian Porter, Katharine Murphy and Penelope Debelle examine
what went wrong and the fallout from the closure.
WHY IS THIS CAR A DUD?
There is no disputing that the 380 has been a sales dud. Mitsubishi was
aiming to achieve 30,000 sales a year, but has barely achieved one third
of that. The 380 was launched late in 2005 just as petrol prices were
surging and demand for locally made six-cylinder cars was plunging.
Holden and Ford have also been hit hard.
Combined Magna and 380 sales in 2005 were 15,900 units but sales of the
380 slid to 12,400 in 2006 and 10,942 last year. Initial sales were so
slow the company slashed the prices across the range by about $7000 six
months after launch.
The car is not a design dud, although it is showing its age. It is
lacking safety features such as stability control and curtain airbags,
which have surged in importance in the past 12 months, but the basics are
sound. It is large inside, has a relatively frugal engine and has no
handling vices. Another factor is that it does not have a station wagon
variant to boost sales.
** It was also ****ing UGLY***
** I Like this bit :-) ***
WHAT IMPACT WILL IT HAVE ON MITSUBISHI WORLDWIDE?
There will be a positive impact for Mitsubishi worldwide. It will staunch
the financial losses that have blighted the local operation in recent
years - $958 million in the past three financial years. The balance sheet
shows the local operations have a net value of just $18.6 million, which
probably represents the value of the vehicle-importing business that will
remain.
** Thank god we won't ever have them back here **
Linear Mode
