Mitsubishi's Concept G4 compact sedan has put in another appearance at the Shanghai motor show following its debut a month earlier in Bangkok.
It's the car that previews the Mirage-based sedan, now known to be a goer for the local market. We can expect to see it join the Mirage range, complementing the hatch variants already on sale here, according to Mitsubishi Australia's Corporate Communications Manager, Caitlin Beale.
"In MMC-speak, it's a concept model for [the] next-generation compact sedan, which we are planning to launch world-wide," she told motoring.com.au. There's no word yet on when exactly, other than sometime next year.
Mitsubishi Australia is apparently already working out the local specs and pricing for the car, but it's "way too early to talk about pricing, unfortunately, and even [model] mix..."
"Expect it to sit well within the Mirage pricing strategy. I would expect you would see them scattered throughout [the range]..."
That suggests a three-level hierarchy for the sedan, mirroring the Mirage hatch, but the Mitsubishi exec could only say that was "more than likely, [but] unconfirmed at this stage..."
Asked whether the decision to bring the booted Mirage to Australia would be fruitful, given Mazda and Ford have both dropped sedan models from their local light car line-up, Ms Beale explained that the Mirage sedan should appeal to a different target buyer in the segment.
"There is still a market for a sedan-looking car, as opposed to a little hatch. If you think of the market, it's 'first car/last car'; [the] last car is like that sedan feel more than your little racy runabout."
In other words, the sedan will be a car for retirees and empty-nesters, rather than P-platers. At least, unlike the Mazda2 and the Fiesta sedan, this one will be built in the same Thai factory as the hatch, ensuring parts supply synergies and shared economies of scale. Since the sedan will be coming from Thailand it's likely to arrive here not long after its global launch. Australia was the third market in the world to receive the Mirage hatch after the five-door's global launch, Ms Beale said. Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...