Mitsubishi Triton

[Artisan]

Also Mitsu as a company are in big trouble.....

Again, this is not true. The Mitsubishi Company produces everything from lifts (elevators), paints, nylon intermediates, mobile telephones through to cars. Maybe Mitsubishi Motors (Japan) is, or was, in trouble after the poor quality cover-up issue and the pull out of Daimler-Chrysler in November last year. However, rescue came from Goldman-Sachs and Mitsubishi Motors is bouyant again.

MSC (Mitsubishi Sittiphol Company) Thailand is a thriving locally based automobile manufacturer.

[Plus]

But they don't put rally engines in Triton, do they? And Thai made Lancer doesn't have Evo engines from WRC.

Rally performance increases profile, it does not necessarily translate in better mass production cars.

[Artisan]

But they don't put rally engines in Triton, do they? And Thai made Lancer doesn't have Evo engines from WRC.

Rally performance increases profile, it does not necessarily translate in better mass production cars.

That's true.....an everyday Triton doesn't have a rally-tuned engine and rally/track performance does not necessarily translate to better mass-produced cars BUT it usually does. Disc brakes, air bags, independent suspension, ABS breaking, fuel injection etc. etc. etc.....all pioneered on the racing or rally circuit but now standard on nearly all mass-produced cars. Furthermore, read my post again and you will see that I was referring to reliability and "highly tuned" usually means "highly strung" also. So, if Mitsubishi can deliver the goods with their rally engines, does it not follow that their bog standard engines will also prove reliable?

[Gary A]

Any of the Thai made diesel pickup trucks are tough and dependable. I personally think Toyota is over rated but they must do something right to build that kind of brand loyalty. Up here where I live Isuzu is number one followed by Nissan. Things are changing. I see many new Vigos and Fords. There's even a few new Tritons being sold. I like the new Chevys but I am a Nissan fan. I'm waiting on the new model. If Nissan offers an automatic transmission in the 4X4 I'll be buying one.

Edited September 8, 2006 by Gary A

[nikster]

Any of the Thai made diesel pickup trucks are tough and dependable. I personally think Toyota is over rated but they must do something right to build that kind of brand loyalty. Up here where I live Isuzu is number one followed by Nissan. Things are changing. I see many new Vigos and Fords. There's even a few new Tritons being sold. I like the new Chevys but I am a Nissan fan. I'm waiting on the new model. If Nissan offers an automatic transmission in the 4X4 I'll be buying one.

Toyota had the best reliability over the last 15 years or so. Not something easily built up. Toyota is always the #2 in JD Powers initial quality research - their new cars have the 2nd fewest issues in the first (year? years?) of ownership in the U.S.

And thats compared to Mercedes, BMW, Honda, etc. It's an amazing track record. #1 is Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand. This is why they are about to overtake GM as the worlds largest car manufacturer.

Toyota's quality control in their plants is legendary. The others are catching up of course, but Toyota was definitely far ahead of anyone else for a long time.

[Artisan]

Courtesy of The Truth About Cars

Play word association with the average American consumer. Say the words “quality cars.” Chances are they’ll respond with “Toyota.” For decades, the Japanese automaker has carefully nurtured and perpetuated a reputation for producing well-built/reliable cars and trucks. As a result, the company’s US sales have grown enormously. As of last month, Toyota now sells more cars in the Americas than Ford. If you discount fleet sales, Toyota’s totals are within shouting distance of GM’s, both nationally and worldwide. Despite this startling, seemingly unstoppable success, or perhaps because of it, the company’s supposedly impenetrable façade has begun to show a few cracks.

At some point, Toyota became a victim of its own success. The company’s double quick expansion, from perennial underdog to voracious overlord, has compromised their unique selling point: product quality. Specifically, Toyota has suffered a plague of recalls around the world. In 2003, the automaker recalled 200k American vehicles. In 2004, the number increased fivefold, to a little over one million vehicles. In the following year, the number leaped again, more than doubling to 2.2 million. So far this year, Toyota has announced five recalls affecting approximately 900K vehicles.

Again, Toyota’s rapid growth is to blame. For one thing, the company’s design centers have been understaffed. The shortage of in-house talent has forced Toyota to outsource, relying on its parts suppliers to design key components. At the same time, the automaker has increased the amount of parts sharing among different models. The practice has dramatically increased the scope of a "single" failure, as witnessed by last October's recall of 1.27m Japanese vehicles. Goldman Sachs estimates that design faults (e.g. rubber parts not thick enough to withstand engine heat and joints too weak to hold together) account for 68% of Toyota’s 2004 recalls.

Andrew Phillips of Nikko Citigroup stated "Toyota's resources have been stretched quite a bit by the big increases in volume." Shinsei Securities analyst Yasuhiro Matsumoto lays the blame for Toyota’s declining quality squarely on Katsuaki Watanabe’s shoulders. He claims the CEO’s constant focus on cost cutting has created devastating production glitches. The resulting quality issues have become so alarming that Watanabe recently admitted, "I take this seriously and see it as a crisis." It’s just as well; Goldman Sachs analyst Kunihiko Shiohara estimates that it may take Toyota four years or more to achieve "a fundamental turnaround in quality levels.”

Edited September 9, 2006 by Artisan

[phupaman]

Hi all.

Talking about Mitsubishi,I ordered a brand new 2.0 Mitsu Lancer from the main dealer in Khon Kaen it duly arrives about 1 week later and I go down pay for it and I drive away . 1 week later the insurance comes and the salesman brings it to my home, so far so good all correct 2007 lancer , another 2 weeks goes by and the registration book comes through the door we think there is a mistake the book say's year of manfacture 2006, back again to mitsu , Very Sorry just a mistake we will get it put right for you.

At the end they cannot get it put right as the car was built in 2006.I go to see the Boss and he offer me the choice of a Pick up or a 1600 Lancer, I dont want none of them I said, I want you to take the car back or give me the difference in cash between a2006 model and a 2007 model , I got nothing , I went to khon kaen Police they phoned the boss at Mitsu and asked him to come to the police station the boss did'nt want to come but he sent the sales manager, again I got nothing.

I brought the car at the end of may I payed 2007 price for the car and end up with a 2006 car. I spoke with a couple of Solicitors and the told me it could take up to 2 years to get to court and they didnt think I could win anything, I really feel that they have stitched me up , and I am just another Farang in Thailand. And as all Thai believe we are all super rich we can all afford it so it just do not matter. Beware when dealing with Mitsubishi KhonKaen.

fredro 1 uk

[Plus]

Thai Lancer hasn't been updated in God knows how many years. They have probably stopped building them ages ago and are just clearing all stock.

Bottom line, there's no difference between 2006, 2007 or 2003 models.