Mitsubishi Launches '06 Eclipse Ahead of Schedule

[ragingfish]

Quote »Mitsubishi launches 2006 Eclipse early; automaker counting heavily on new model's successKATHY JACKSON | Automotive NewsLOS ANGELES -- Mitsubishi, in an urgent need to revive sales and its brand image in this country, is putting its redesigned 2006 Eclipse coupe on sale 10 days earlier than planned.The four-door coupe went on sale Thursday at a base price of $19,994 including the shipping charge. The 2005 model was priced at $20,274 including shipping.The ad campaign begins this weekend.The company originally planned to put some of the vehicles into dealerships for display and promotional purposes on Memorial Day. The official sales date and ad launch was set for June 12.But Mitsubishi is counting on the Eclipse to bring some spark back to the brand. Sales plunged 40.2 percent in the first four months of the year compared with 2004. Each nameplate was down by double digits, including the Eclipse coupe, down 22.0 percent."Feedback and reactions from dealers and consumers has been overwhelmingly positive," said Dave Schembri, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. "Since our product ramp up had been virtually flawless, we saw no reason to hold back on deliveries of this fabulous new car to showrooms."The redesigned Eclipse comes in two models, the GS and the GT. The GS comes with a 2.4-liter, 162-hp four-cylinder engine with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The four-cylinder engine in the current Eclipse makes 147 hp.The GT has a 3.8-liter, 263-hp V-6 with either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission. The current 3.0-liter V-6 makes 200 hp in the GT and 210 hp in the GTS.The Rockford Fosgate audio system uses 650 watts and has nine speakers.The primary target customers are singles and married couples aged 25 to 35. The secondary customers are baby boomers with older children and empty nesters looking for a personal car.The car is built at the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill. It has capacity for 42,000 coupes annually.RagingCommentary: Mitsu is putting too much faith in a single appealing model to revive the brand. Even strong Eclipse sales can't bring the brand back to the black. If Mitsubishi is serious about staying in the states, they need a whole new line of innovative, exciting, and reliable products. In short: I see this as a final gasp of breath, but a sure sign Mitsu will disappear in the states in the next few weeks...

[ColonelPanic]

I was gonna say, I don't remember the front end looking so goofy at the NY show, but sure enough, I did see it there! Must have forgot abotu it. I totally agree, mitsu is putting far too much stock in this one car... This isn't going to be pretty. If they had this car, plus every other new model new and improved, then they may stand a chance... No way they're going to be able to survive off this thing and this thing alone.Bye bye, Mitsubishi...

[Mr. Poopypants]

That is pretty nice looking. My brother has a 2003 Eclipse GT. It's a nice car, but I don't fit in the car at all. I wonder if they rectified the "Ringling Bros. Clown" syndrome I felt the few times I drove his car.

[JustinVGT]

It looks alright, not bad, but not great in my opinion. I wonder what the fully loaded GT will be priced at. I used to sell Mitsubishis a few years ago and they were never big sellers. They really screwed themselves over with their 0-0-0 financing they had back then. It was no interest, no downpayment, and no payments for a year. They got a lot of buyers, so sales were high. They were very lenient with choosing whom they financed and loaned out to people that had not very good credit. This has hurt them because then after that year of no payments, some of those customers found they could not afford the car and Mitsubishi would have to repo the vehicle. I've never been a fan of their cars. Odd styling, so-so quality, smaller sizes, etc. I hate to see a company go, but I agree, they really need to revamp a lot more than just the Eclipse.

[ragingfish]

Wow...problems already...Quote »Mitsu Needs Eclipse FixMitsubishi has halted sales of the '06 Eclipse after the company received reports of flawed brake systems from its Normal, Ill., plant. Automotive News reports that Mitsubishi reported the problem to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday, noting that up to 1185 vehicle could be involved in the brake issue. The industry weekly says 44 of the vehicles have been sold to buyers, with 400 at dealers and the rest in transit. In the vehicles, a problem with the vacuum brake booster could cause brake failure. Mitsu has not stopped building new Eclipses in Normal, and says the problem could be corrected in production by the end of the week. Source: The Car Connection