Photo: Mitsubishi
There were reports last week that the Mitsubishi Attrage (aka the Mitsubishi G4) would be rebadged as a Chrysler and sold in China. While we’ve yet to hear any official news on that front, the Japanese automaker announced this week that the Attrage would be definitely be heading to Mexico as some sort of Chrysler-badged product.
In a press release, Mitsubishi said that it has signed into a five-year agreement with Chrysler de Mexico to supply Thailand-built Attrage sedans that will be rebadged and likely sold as a rebadged Dodge product. We talked to Miguel Ceballos, head of communications at Chrysler Mexico, and he said the automaker is still working on which brand and nameplate to sell this new model under.
The B-segment is one of the biggest vehicle segments in Mexico with more than 250,000 sales in that country last year, which represents 23 percent of its auto sales. For the last 14 years, Dodge has competed in the small-car segment using renamed Hyundai products, which in recent years have included the Dodge Attitude (a Hyundai Accent) and the “i10 by Dodge” (a Hyundai i10). Ceballos said that Dodge dealers are currently selling the last of their Hyundai cars, and “will not be selling any more rebadged Hyundai vehicles.” Hyundai ended the deal with Chrysler so it could focus on growing its name in Mexico with the development of its own dealer network.
For Chrysler, this is where the Mitsubishi Attrage fits in. The Attrage was introduced last year in Thailand and Canada, and it is essentially a sedan version of the Mitsubishi Mirage. The deal will give Chrysler an immediate small car for its dealers to sell, and it will give Mitsubishi some extra capacity from its Thailand factory.
The B-segment is one of the biggest vehicle segments in Mexico with more than 250,000 sales in that country last year, which represents 23 percent of its auto sales. For the last 14 years, Dodge has competed in the small-car segment using renamed Hyundai products, which in recent years have included the Dodge Attitude (a Hyundai Accent) and the “i10 by Dodge” (a Hyundai i10). Ceballos said that Dodge dealers are currently selling the last of their Hyundai cars, and “will not be selling any more rebadged Hyundai vehicles.” Hyundai ended the deal with Chrysler so it could focus on growing its name in Mexico with the development of its own dealer network.
For Chrysler, this is where the Mitsubishi Attrage fits in. The Attrage was introduced last year in Thailand and Canada, and it is essentially a sedan version of the Mitsubishi Mirage. The deal will give Chrysler an immediate small car for its dealers to sell, and it will give Mitsubishi some extra capacity from its Thailand factory.
Google News