Mitsubishi, weirdly enough, where I’m from (Philippines), they are doing just fine, but they are struggling everywhere else. Mitsubishi have a special place in our hearts, we love our box-type Lancers, Galants, and especially Pajeros. Today though Evos are gone, the Eclipse is an SUV, I really loved the new Mirage but they never thought of making a hot hatch, which would have been perfect!
Ford still makes these models, but in Europe. The new range of compacts and subcompacts is a dream.
The point is that the American public in general doesn’t want small, economical cars, they don’t sell enough. They want huge, gigantic cars with absurd fuel waste just because they want to compensate for something with the size of the car and because a V6 or V8 engine makes a good noise. That’s what sells, although it’s a rather irrational and even primitive choice.
They have already discontinued the Fiesta in Europe, and have announced the Focus will be discontinued in 2025. The Mondeo lives on, though
Man, I don’t know, but the Ford Fiesta is still on sale on Ford’s European websites. Depending on the case, you can even order a diesel model. The Ford Mondeo only appears on the Chinese website. Ford has practically moved its design and engineering centers there.
Europeans want high power V8s too, they’re just not allowed to have them lol
They can also buy V-engined cars. For example, Alfa Romeo sells the Giulia Quadrifoglio, which has a V6 engine, with 3 liters of displacement, of Ferrari origin with biturbo, generating some 500hp and 620Nm of torque. Mercedes Benz-AMG and BMW’s M division also make models with biturbo V8s, which are insane.
The point is that a turbocharged four-cylinder can generate much more power and torque than an aspirated V8, but with much less fuel consumption. They manage to get 400hp out of a Volkswagen Golf with a 1.9 TDI diesel engine by modifying the turbine and have city car consumption. Why would a European spend so much if he can get the same performance for less? The comfort and construction quality are crap, but the main point of a sports car like this isn’t to show off or be luxurious, it’s to break the competitor’s ego…