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Thread: TMR 380 on idle

  1. #1
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    TMR 380 on idle

    http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0...-21822,00.html

    Mitsubishi's fast car is on idle


    Mitsubishi Australia hopes for a decision on the supercharged TMR 380 by Easter.

    Paul Gover

    The future of the most radical homegrown Mitsubishi in a generation is hanging in the balance.

    The supercharged TMR 380, built to star at last year's Sydney Motor Show, is almost ready for the road, but still needs the green light from Adelaide.

    Mitsubishi Motors Australia is keen to push the TMR into production, but needs to ensure it can be certified and profitable before a final decision.

    Budgets also need to be approved from Japan. And the 380 project needs to be integrated into a bigger strategic plan to give Mitsubishi a full-scale special vehicles division, bringing it up to speed against Ford, GM Holden and, from later this year, Toyota.

    "We want to build the car. We are working on the plan to make it happen," Mitsubishi Motors Australia managing director Rob McEniry says.

    "I would like to have a decision by Easter. Originally, I wanted to have an announcement at the Melbourne Motor Show in March but we've run into a few snags. I would still rate it as better than a 50:50 chance — no, much better than 50:50.

    "That car, plus some other vehicles we would like to bring to the full range, adds an emotional value and an aspiration value to the brand. We've had that before, but only in very limited appeal with the Lancer Evo.

    "There has been no opportunity for people to step back to another car at Mitsubishi. If you look at Ford or Holden, they have the HSV and FPV cars, but you can also step back to an XR Falcon or SS Commodore. We also need to have that ability."


    The 380 show car was built by Team Mitsubishi Ralliart under the direction of rally team boss Alan Heaphy, with a Sprintex supercharged engine producing 230kW and a range of upgraded mechanical components, including the brakes taken from the Lancer Evo.

    It also has a bodykit, vented bonnet and lowered suspension.

    McEniry is aware of the overall need to move into special vehicles at Mitsubishi, not just a single car like the TMR 380.

    "This is an important part of trying to change the perception of the brand. We don't want to be a grey-cardigan company," he says. "We need to appeal to more than just fleet buyers, which has been the traditional situation at Mitsubishi. I think today we need to appeal to youth.

    "One of the reasons we brought out the Ralliart Colt and the Cabriolet was to appeal to a younger, broader and more emotionally based consumer group."

    McEniry's special-vehicle plan is still being assessed and includes such basics as whether it will be run by an outside company or from inside MMAL in Adelaide.

    But he is keen to get the TMR 380 moving and believes it should be in showrooms in the second half of the year.

    "Because it is off-the-shelf parts and we've continued to refine and develop those parts, it will probably be ready by the third or fourth quarter this year," he says. "It's not a signed-off project yet, but our plan is to move towards approving it and getting it into production as soon as we can."

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  2. #2
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    I hope it goes well in terms of sales. But like the Magna and 380, I fear that its going to be invisible to the market.

    It should be interesting how it performs. From what I've heard, its one of the best handling FWD cars around, so it may show the XR6/SV6 a thing or two

    And it has to lose those shintzy chrome wheels.
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    I cant see it getting off easy putting that much power to the front wheels. The Aurion's been lambasted, and its only got 200kw.
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    I like there train of thoughts. They think more then Toyota but have the budget of john howards hair stylist..
    Toyota has the money but only thinks about small numbers around base and insulting holden and ford with F1 claims and best fuel economy.
    With Mitsubishi they are looking too match the cars holden and ford have, they see a high performance model but a step back model too match with XR8-6 SV6-SS..
    Now if they had the budget of Toyota they might go AWD.
    But since they don't they might not go anywhere and be left with many thoughts and no money to do them. I know that feeling .

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    Theyve got to be careful though, if they go straight after the RWD market, they'll be slaughtered. If they go another direction, the models will be completely out of line, which wont be preferable either.
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    True but i like how they have the balls to try, But the won't have the budget behind them.
    Holden needs a Supercharged version like yesterday, They wont go turbo and who knows why really, But if they can find a Supercharged alloytech engine with 230-250kw 450-510Nm Then they have a 6 that's in the ring with the XR6T, Then Mitsub can come in the ring with there own version of something.. If toyota ever feels the needs to live dangerously they might also, Opens the cheap sporty market to some competition and maybe get people to buy more sporty large cars, Good competition can only be good with more then 1 to chose from.

    Also just found out that with a 10psi pulley the old V6 supercharge engine was 225kw 510Nm ready, And there still was more in the ECU to get out. I still can't belive holden not giving it some extra boost

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    If Holden does for down the FI path, it will be when the interest in the VE has subdued. That won't be anytime awfully soon.
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    The current 380 VRX doesnt look remotely sporty, but if they just shoved this bodykit onto the VRX, itd be a proper XR6/SV6 rival...No point putting anymore power into a front driver IMO.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monty_Burns
    No point putting anymore power into a front driver IMO.
    Sadly, I don't think MMAL is in a position of choice in this matter.

    At least they're giving it a go, unlike some OTHER Japanese brand we know. $70K for an appliance? No thanks.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monty_Burns
    The current 380 VRX doesnt look remotely sporty, but if they just shoved this bodykit onto the VRX, itd be a proper XR6/SV6 rival...No point putting anymore power into a front driver IMO.
    You really don't think it's sporty? I don't mind it with 19" rims and 2" lower looks good. I seen one my way not long ago

    But toyota listen to me So now it's mitsub turn, Slick says 18" rims do this

  11. #11
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    A 380 VRX is a great package - pretty darn close to an XR6 or SV6 as a whole - just a bit of visual aggro is all it needs, and they'd be everywhere in the same way the XR6 is.

    It makes more sense to spend a little on a bodykit, and see it translate into higher sales than to go onto an expensive, hardcore sports variant that wont get them anywhere financially. Look at Ford's range - they sell a helluva lot more atmo XR6's than XR6T's and XR8's.

    There's no point doing a $50K XR6T rival unless their volume sellers are actually selling.
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  12. #12
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    Monty_Burns originally posted
    Look at Ford's range - they sell a helluva lot more atmo XR6's than XR6T's and XR8's.

    There's no point doing a $50K XR6T rival unless their volume sellers are actually selling.
    Ford sells a heap of XR as fleet cars as they arent much more expensive than the base car with a fair bit more in them.
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    Yeah..i guess, but the point is that a $50K XR6T rival isnt gonna get Mitsubishi anywhere financially - a tarted-up VRX makes much more sense IMO.

    BTW - does anyone know of any website etc where you can get a breakdown of private vs fleet sales???
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    Mitsubishi realise that, and they pretty much have admitted they need to work on a cheaper performance model, or at least putting more effort into the 380 VRX and GT.
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    Quote Originally Posted by fpv_gtho
    I cant see it getting off easy putting that much power to the front wheels. The Aurion's been lambasted, and its only got 200kw.
    MOTOR said it wasn't too bad. The only problem's they had with the car were a lack of steering self-centering and something else about that presently escapes me, but not too bad for the power, and a couple of things that are related to the fact that they were driving the show car (it was way too low, wheels wrong offset)
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