For the 2025 model year, Chevrolet has decided not to revive the Malibu mid-size sedan. The 702 horsepower Ram 1500 TRX, the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the Chevy Camaro, the Ford Escape, the Maserati Ghibli, the MINI Clubman, and the Nissan Titan are among the other cars that have joined it in demise. Additionally, Nissan is discontinuing the Versa and Altima for the 2026 model year.
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is losing one of its most affordable models in America the $16,695 Mirage, along with the $17,795 Mirage G4 sedan. This leaves Mitsubishi with the outdated $23,695 Outlander Sport, the unattractive $26,345 Eclipse Cross, the $28k Outlander, and the $40k Outlander PHEV.
Mitsubishi’s U.S. sales barely reached 28k, even with a 36% year-over-year increase, while other Asian carmakers thrived. Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) surpassed 100k sales with a 13% rise in Q1. Mitsubishi’s future in the U.S. seems bleak compared to Subaru’s popularity.
If Mitsubishi had heeded the efforts of digital car content creators, it might have avoided this grim fate. Virtual artist jlord8 recently imagined a reborn Mitsubishi Raider mid-size pickup truck, which could be more profitable than the Mirage.
Mitsubishi could revive the Raider using Stellantis’ resources, much like the 2006-2009 Raider was based on the Dodge Dakota. This modern revival could use the Ram Rampage platform for a unibody truck or the upcoming mid-sized Ram Dakota platform to compete with the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Frontier. Could this design project save Mitsubishi if made real?
