Mitsubishi To Enter Supermini Segment
Mitsubishi To Enter Supermini Segment With New Mirage
- Stylish newcomer to offer exceptional value and low cost of ownership
- Fuel efficiency a design and engineering priority
- Mirage to tackle first- and second-time buyers’ markets
14 JULY 2014 – As part of an expanding footprint in South Africa, Mitsubishi Motors is gearing up for the debut of the all-new Mitsubishi Mirage in August 2014. Poised to take the fight to competitors in the budget- and youth-focused A-segment, the stylish new entry-level 5-door Japanese hatchback prides itself on providing fuel efficient, enjoyable motoring with particularly youthful appeal.
A new three-model range will arrive with trusted Mitsubishi integrity, reliability and practicality as well as exceptional fuel efficiency and safety. The superbly compact proportions envelop a spacious and manoeuvrable vehicle which is an ideal everyday runabout.
“Mitsubishi is renowned all over the world as one of Japan’s foremost automotive brands and we are on a resurgence in the South African market,” comments Wynand Pretorius, General Manager at Mitsubishi Motors South Africa.
“With the new Mirage, the brand will be entering the A-segment for the very first time in South Africa, and with a fun little car at that. We exhibited the new Mirage at last year’s Johannesburg International Motor Show, where we received extremely positive responses from show-goers. In these ever-increasingly difficult economic times, it makes all the sense in the world to introduce our new supermini, which will be very competitively priced.
“In this vein, we are taking a very strong approach on the viability of Mirage as an entry-level vehicle, specifically targeting a market where purchase price, fuel efficiency and ownership costs play vital determining roles in the buying process.”
All new Mirage derivatives will be powered by Mitsubishi’s 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder MIVEC DOHC petrol engine, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Easily able to keep up with the hustle and bustle of busy city streets as well as the open roads so characteristic of South Africa, the Mirage is also exceptionally fuel efficient thanks to MIVEC – Mitsubishi Innovative Valve-timing Electronic Control.
Average fuel economy on the combined cycle is just 4.9-litres per 100 km, allowing Mirage to punch above its weight on the fuel efficiency front. In fact, Mirage is acclaimed as the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid petrol vehicle available in the United States, a market where it is also sighted as the lightest 5-door, 5-passenger vehicle. This was achieved after an extensive weight-saving engineering process with key benefits linked directly to enhanced fuel efficiency.
Impressive too is that Mirage is fitted as standard with creature comforts like keyless entry and a full complement of safety equipment including ABS, EBD and dual airbags, packaged in a funky-looking body designed around Mitsubishi’s RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) impact-absorbing chassis structure.
The new Mitsubishi Mirage will be backed by Mitsubishi Motors’s comprehensive 3-year/ 100 000 km warranty. Full range details and pricing will be announced at launch.
