Mitsubishi Mirage Axed in Japan, Future in Other Markets Uncertain

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For most part of its lifetime, the Mitsubishi Mirage is known as a hatchback, though some iterations of it came in a sedan body as well. Borne out of the 1970s global oil crisis, this subcompact car is the marque’s answer for the sudden calling for compact, economical cars with sensible fuel consumptions and priced relatively cheap.

Decades after its 1978 launch, Mitsubishi has finally killed-off the Mirage from its homeland market. The Mirage’s demise has been written in the stars for years, as Mitsubishi is rejuvenating itself as a marque ‘specialises’ in crossover SUVs, pick-up trucks and other forms of high-riding vehicles.

Posted on Mitsubishi Japan’s official website is a statement that read, "Since Mirage is discontinued, body colors, options, etc. may not be able to meet your request."

The latest Mirage to be offered in the Japanese market is the sixth-gen Mirage, first debuted way back in 2012. It has undergone two facelifts, with the latest one happening in 2019, which saw the Mirage being added numerous safety equipment and features, plus a mild refresh on its exterior design.

In the local space, Mitsubishi Malaysia has discontinued the Mirage since 2016. Originally launched back in 2012, the subcompact car obtained a mid-life update only one year before its gradual and expected demise. The original launching price for the 2012 Mitsubishi Mirage is RM55,583 for the manual baseline spec, and RM63,375 for the top-spec Mirage with CVT box.

However, the Mirage is still on sale in the other key ASEAN markets, such as Thailand and the Philippines.

In Thailand, the Mirage that is currently on sale is the second facelift of the sixth-gen Mirage originally launched in 2012. Priced for about THB 474,000 (RM60,560) for the baseline spec, the Thai market also receives the saloon version of the Mirage, known as the Attrage. This subcompact saloon is donned with a price tag starting from THB 494,000 (RM63,115) onwards. 

For the Philippines, both the hatchback and sedan versions of the Mirage are known as Mirage and Mirage G4 respectively. Also coming in the same version as the Thai-bound Mirage, the  Thousand Island nation’s Mirage hatchback commands a lower price tag of PHP 711,000 (RM56,302), while the Mirage G4 saloon starts at around PHP 769,000 (RM60,895).

Moving across the globe, the Mirage is also currently on sale in the US, selling about 20,000 units in 2021 alone. In spite of being one of the cheapest options in its category, the Mirage didn’t manage to break through the 20,000 mark for this year’s sales number so far, which reads at about 13,000 through the year’s first three quarters.

The Mirage is for sale in the US for about $17,290 (RM76,300) for the entry-level model, and judging from the rather lukewarm sales numbers, it will probably meet the same fate as its Japan-bound siblings.

Fortunately, this might not be the definitive end for the Mirage nameplate. Back in 2018, numerous reports and rumours suggested that Mitsubishi might revive the Mirage nameplate in the form of a compact crossover, which is in-line with the Japanese marque’s rejuvenation as an exclusive crossovers/pick-up trucks marque.