Mitsubshi is about to shut shop.

[lostdude]

I saw this on the news just then. Hasn't being finalised but i guess we all knew it was going to happen.


http://business.smh.com.au/mitsubish...0204-1q24.html

[|||]

im amazed they lasted this long. what was the last decent car they made here?

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by |||

im amazed they lasted this long. what was the last decent car they made here?

Ahh, the 380 : The Magna was a great car in it's day too.

Just because it doesn't sell well doesn't mean its crap. Is the Commodore the best car in Australia? Because it sells the most.

I think Mitsubishi may have been killed by it's own marketing. The engineering is sound, it's just that poeple aren't buying large engined, large FWD cars at the moment. Aurion sales are falling in a heap too.

Mitsubishi should have started building the Lancer out here, but it probably doesn't make financial sense globally.

[|||]

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Just because it doesn't sell well doesn't mean its crap.

yes it does. thats how business works.

the 380 is the wrong design at the wrong time at the wrong price. its crap and no one will miss it

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by |||

yes it does. thats how business works.

the 380 is the wrong design at the wrong time at the wrong price. its crap and no one will miss it

No I still stand by my statement. Just because it has poor sales doesn't mean it's a poorly designed and engineered car! It was a crap business decision though I do grant you that, and I pointed that out in my previous post.

And no, before you ask I dont own one : . I have spent some time in Magnas though, and for a comfortable, powerful, reliable runabout they are very good cars. I dont think I would buy one with sporty intentions in mind. I like my powerful cars to power the back wheels, or at least all 4.

[Richmalbill]

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

Aurion sales are falling in a heap too.

Errr No they're not..Aurion outsold Falcon last month (January) and doing so recorded a 12.4% increase in sales. The only vehicle in the large segment to increase its sales actually...

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by Richmalbill

Errr No they're not..Aurion outsold Falcon last month (January) and doing so recorded a 12.4% increase in sales. The only vehicle in the large segment to increase its sales actually...

Wasn't that because the Falcon sales FELL... just because one product total falls, doesn't mean the other ones actually gain.

Bah - I think most people were expecting a the Mitsu plant closure...

Do Mitsu have any OZ building plans?

[lostdude]

Originally Posted by Kia Chaser

Wasn't that because the Falcon sales FELL... just because one product total falls, doesn't mean the other ones actually gain.

Bah - I think most people were expecting a the Mitsu plant closure...

Do Mitsu have any OZ building plans?

probably not , most likely moving to india or china.

[Wally]

They never managed to shed the image of a sensible car, made for geriatrics = straw hat or bowls hat at the rear window. The Magna also entrenched itself as the company car for lower order executives.

If they wanted to make a family car they should have targetted the family man with kids. It might have played in their favour if they actually increased the price to eliminate the perception that the cost gap between it and a similarly appointed VE was because of inferior quality rather than value for money.

Of course persistant rumours of closure wouldn't have helped either.

I think most Oz makers have forgotten how to market the little things. For instance when Holden brought out the HQ, I remember the advert hype about coiled rear suspension and footage of the car riding over sleepers and corrogated roads. Sure it was just one part to a car, but it allowed the consumer to focus on one thing. These days you get a fleeting shot of items which might be of consequence, but not enough time to absorb the significance.

[Richmalbill]

Originally Posted by Kia Chaser

Wasn't that because the Falcon sales FELL... just because one product total falls, doesn't mean the other ones actually gain.

Bah - I think most people were expecting a the Mitsu plant closure...

Do Mitsu have any OZ building plans?

Read the post...Aurion sale ROSE....IE They sold more of them in January than they sold last January. In a context where every other manuafacturer sold significantly less vehicles than in the year before, Toyota sold significantly MORE.

[red_hotxr6]

Originally Posted by |||

im amazed they lasted this long. what was the last decent car they made here?

Wouldnt that be the 380, i think it made car of the year, didnt it...??

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by red_hotxr6

Wouldnt that be the 380, i think it made car of the year, didnt it...??

NRMA large car of the year, before that the 3rd gen (TE-TL) was Wheels Car of the Year back in 1996.

To say nothing good came from that factory would be to be completely pig headed. At least MMAL tried to have a go and put some passion into the large front wheel drive market with the VRX and Ralliart, let alone being the first Australian AWD car to market (and subsequently the only Australian manufacturer to make AWD an option across it's sedan range) and was also the first manufacturer to intoduce a 5 speed auto.

[paul_r_d]

It was bound to happen......i'm waiting for the day when NOTHING is made here. Out of the 100's of car out there, how many are made in Australia? 3? The Falcon, Commodore and Camry? They will go too, you watch.

[Fordman1]

2016 No Australian Industry ?

[blackwood]

Very sad news. So much history at Tonsley Park.

[hy_boi]

I think also part of todays meeting is to see if they can build the lancer and outlander here. But yeah the oz industry is getting close to over. The only one with a real decent future is holden and toyota, both with massive (on oz scale) exports.

[ebxr8240]

Our $$$ doesn't help exports ....Mitsi do make good small 4 cyl motors.. Trouble is they havn't been using them here....Off to China or India ??? Most light trucks etc come from Asia now...

[RG]

You say that the Aus industry is over and not much gets made here yet Ford will soon be building the Focus here and GM has invested a heap of $$$ into Holdens Plant in SA and the engine plant in Fishermans Bend.

I think it is just the start of a very good period.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by RedXR347

You say that the Aus industry is over and not much gets made here yet Ford will soon be building the Focus here and GM has invested a heap of $$$ into Holdens Plant in SA and the engine plant in Fishermans Bend.

I think it is just the start of a very good period.

Exactly, half the trouble is that everyone is so doom and gloomy.

FoA has just spent a heap, same with GM so they will be here for a while yet.

The 380/Magna have never really done that well. Which is a shame, but the lancer does what the 380 did; but alot better.

Personally I think the new Lancer is awesome, and would get one over a Focus (except for the XR5) anyday.

[T3ts50]

From what Koche was saying on sunrise, Mitsubishi produced 55,000 Magnas back in '97 compared to 11,000 in '07.

[Fordmuscle1965]

Originally Posted by T3ts50

From what Koche was saying on sunrise, Mitsubishi produced 55,000 Magnas back in '97 compared to 11,000 in '07.

Look at a Magna back then, It looked half decent. The next model after that one was reasonable as well then they started to look like crap. Thats what happens when your designers are all on drugs!

[Ralliart]

Originally Posted by Fordmuscle1965

Look at a Magna back then, It looked half decent. The next model after that one was reasonable as well then they started to look like crap. Thats what happens when your designers are all on drugs!

best good looking magna was the tj series hands down :

[Werd.]

Originally Posted by Ralliart

best good looking magna was the tj series hands down :

You own one, and your bias is extremely obvious.

[Ralliart]

Originally Posted by Werd.

You own one, and your bias is extremely obvious.

um no not because i drive a tj but because they look good through out the whole range of the 3rd Generation Magna Range plus the The TJ has the Ralliart plus the vrx in their range,

btw i have driven a 380 off one of my friends it felt so weird because it was big , as i have said in my earlier posts i would not buy a 380, i would buy a xr8/ve over the 380

[gtfpv]

I KNOW everyone in the media , and industry comment on how good the 380 is . but as much as i try , i just cant see myself owning one . here lies the problem i think . they just arent appealing to the public. who buy cars. sad but true.

[hy_boi]

Aurion sales have been steady, but haven't been going up either.

I don't think the Aus export market can get really big, but more then likely hold what it is doing now.

The biggest thing though is toyota pulled out of making the corolla in Aus, so makes me think how ford would be able to do it with a smaller budget.

I just hope it all works out in the end.

[SPK-250]

I work at Walkers so i wonder if it will affect us and all the other suppliers??

I cant remember the last time we made the mufflers, very rare.

[XR6_190]

I think the closure of the Tonsley Park facility was always going to happen. I don't blame the car for this, as it is a good car, however I do blame the way it was marketed and the pricing/ equipment levels of the up market models (eg. GT)

It does make me wonder whether or not it would have been worth while sticking with the Magna/ Verada nameplates?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by XR6_190

I think the closure of the Tonsley Park facility was always going to happen. I don't blame the car for this, as it is a good car, however I do blame the way it was marketed and the pricing/ equipment levels of the up market models (eg. GT)

It does make me wonder whether or not it would have been worth while sticking with the Magna/ Verada nameplates?

Yes and no.

The Magna hit a dip in the later years between 2001 - 2003 where the changes to it were minimal. If they had brought the 380 out late 2002 when the BA Falcon / VY Commodore etc had be released it may have had a better chance, but it was too little too late in 2005...

Sad news they are closing and very dissapointing for the South Australian Government.

[blueoval]

Just got confirmation from a mate who works at mitsubishi tonsley.

Its official that Mitsubishi WILL be closing as of 31st march this year.