Jump to content

Bring Back The Mitsubishi Starion


NikoFab
 Share

Recommended Posts

Seriously - the 4B11 is a "World" Engine - the Hyundai Genesis Turbo is the RWD variant. Mitsubishi, you want to gain car sales? Make a sub-30k, rwd 6spd turbocharged coupe to compete against the BRZ/FRS, 370Z, Mustang Turbo, etc

 

and make sure your interior quality is up to snuff. None of this $40k for an economy car interior.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

square out the back end a little and any of these 3 is what a new mitsu starion should look like IMO.....but seeing as they are all high end cars i doubt mitsu would have the balls or intelligence to copy the design and make it affordable, fast, and well built

 

 

http://fourtitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/profiles-compared-960x843.jpg

Edited by Walker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

These cars were pricey for what they were when they were new, they weren't really thought of as economical. Then came the 3000 GT which was the "successor", and that car wasn't cheap either. As a brand, Mitsu is on the rocks having narrowly survived a bankrupcy scare a few years back.

 

Like with the Starion, motorsports is where they derive their sporty cars, and they went away from RWD rally cars in the 80's. Since then, all their sporty cars are AWD cars that have a direct link with the rally world, it's like their one point of pride in the racing world. Not sure how they would change that, maybe by teaming up with Hyundai and using the Genesis coupe platform as a base?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was recently almost bankrupt?

 

Anyway, 25k for a rwd manual 280hp car with great interior is stupid. At 25k and you want all that? Lets be real here. You have to compromise at 25k. You're asking mitsubishi to make a car with everything for the price of nothing.

Edited by GINASQ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they did bring it back it wouldn't be a $20-25k car. SQs cost around $20k new. Back then you could get a Japanese truck for $5k. Granted that was the base model but fully loaded wasn't much more. A new SQ would probably fit into the $40-60k price range.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it would help the value of our cars, but I'm not into them for that. I think it would bring a crowd of people to our scene, probably more for the worse than for the better. Definitely close to the cost to, if not exceeding modern muscle cars current prices. If they were to venture there, they should go all out and try to compete or beat the GTR.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was recently almost bankrupt?

 

I didn't say MHI, I'm referring to the Mitsubishi Motors automotive division. MHI is like a multinational mega corporation making everything from oil rigs to ships to aircraft. Mistubishi Motors was losing up to $700 million every six months at some points during the last decade. That meant that Mistubishi's parent corporation was subsidizing the company... usually that leads to restructuring or bankrupcy.

Edited by Fuze
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was recently almost bankrupt?

 

Anyway, 25k for a rwd manual 280hp car with great interior is stupid. At 25k and you want all that? Lets be real here. You have to compromise at 25k. You're asking mitsubishi to make a car with everything for the price of nothing.

 

That's no longer the case today. Take the 2015 Ecoboost Mustang for example. 310hp/320lb/tq, soft plastics interior ( e.g. not EVERYTHING is cheap plastic that just rattles everywhere like an Evo X is. Even Subaru improved their interior over the years on the STi since 2008 ). Base price is $25k. That's a 6spd, with the 3.31 limited slip ( you can't not get it without ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly Mitsubishi Motors has continually expressed NO interest in getting into the sports car segment again. It started with the 3000GT back in 2001 and then the Eclipse in 2012 and now the Lancer Evolution in 2015. Their motor division has been ran into the ground sadly. They're counting on their efficient cars to bring them out of the dregs of the automotive hell, but I'm afraid it's too late. Expect Mitsubishi Motors to withdraw from the U.S. market by 2020.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When.

 

Nissan is destroying the market with the Leaf.

 

iMiev is currently in the lineup of offerings. Read an article a while back, can't remember where, but it was about Mitsubishi Motors putting a large percentage of their R&D into the electric car segment. Their concept cars also show this shift. All are either full electric or some variant of a hybrid.

 

Kane

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The reason names get revived is to capitalize on things like nostalgia. Anyone who has heard of starion recalls the urban legend of engrish. Anyone actually recognizing the car knows it as a conquest tsi. From a marketing standpoint the name is suicide.

 

Also, a new Starion would never draw interest to the old. That's backwards. The logic is that recognition of the original draws interest to the new.

Edited by Malykaii
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm glad there are a bunch of these tree hugger cars, keeps gas prices down even though it's not actually "greener" than fixing something that already exists. Not buying one anytime soon...

 

What's nice is here in Georgia, if you lease a Nissan Leaf for two years, you actually make money from the tax credits and such. Basically, it works out to where it pretty much pays for your car for those two years.

 

That, and cost of electricity is ~$550/year. I'm pretty sure I've done that in just a month, driving a Miata.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

square out the back end a little and any of these 3 is what a new mitsu starion should look like IMO.....but seeing as they are all high end cars i doubt mitsu would have the balls or intelligence to copy the design and make it affordable, fast, and well built

 

 

http://fourtitude.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/profiles-compared-960x843.jpg

 

I like each of these...but they're no where close to being able to be merged with the Starion badge IMO. I could see any of these as nice candidates for a rebirth of the 3000GT though.

 

To me, it's the body design that's the most distinctive, memorable, and noteworthy feature of the car. To the general public, the Starion body design was/is known for its lines and angularity. To the Starquest community, I think items like the flared fenders, the deep dish offset wheels, and the B-Pillar gap between windows all lend themselves to what makes the Starion such a looker in the first place.

 

Just my 2.6 :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

unfortunately curves are in and sharp angles have been out for a long time

Especially when you try to consider aerodynamics. Pop up headlights are like parachutes.

 

I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying none of the cars suggested convey/represent the Starion badge very well. But I still say any of those three would be a terrific 3000GT renewal.

 

However I believe it would be possible to renew the car with a contemporary take on the classic look. Ford has done it with the Mustang for decades for example. I'm not saying it's definitive, but I think it could be done and sell well.

Edited by NikoFab
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...