After almost three decades on Australian soil, the last Mitsubishi Mirage has been sold nearly 18 months after the final batch of cars arrived before the 31 October 2021 deadline for new imports.
Despite selling over 79,000 units since the Mirage first arrived in Australia in July 1996, tougher new pole side-impact crash safety regulations introduced November 2021, ultimately caused the demise of the popular ‘low priced’ nameplate.
Pole Side Impact Performance or simply ADR 85 intends to reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities in side impact crashes with narrow road objects such as poles and trees, however, the Mirage did not comply with the stricter regulations. Rather than investing in structural upgrades needed, Mitsubishi opted to pull the latest (albeit dated) model from sale.
The nameplate itself experienced two sales stints in Australia, the first (1996-2003) saw unit numbers exceed 47,000 whereas the second, (2013-2021) recorded sales that fell below 32,000 – Unfortunately, the Mirage only clocked up unit sales of 862 in 2022.
Reportedly, the last new Mitsubishi Mirage in Australia was sold in February 2023 – ending the model’s recent reign as being one of the lowest cost new vehicles on the market.
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