One Of America's Only Sub-$20K Cars Is Dead

The 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage will soon be discontinued in the US market, according to a new report from Automotive News. Will anyone miss it though? At just $16,245 ($17,340 with destination), the Mirage is among the cheapest new cars available, but it recently lost its America's cheapest new vehicle title to the Nissan Versa, which costs $15,730.

With the Mirage dead, the list of vehicles that truly cost less than $20,000 has been cut to the aforementioned Versa and the Kia Rio. The Kia Forte and Hyundai Venue squeeze under that price, but destination fees take them above the psychological $20k barrier. According to Cox Automotive, the Mirage was the only vehicle that actually transacted under $20,000 in the month of July.

We've known for a little while that the Mirage's fate was in flux. Mitsubishi stopped production of the subcompact model in the Japanese market but stressed at the time that the Mirage was still integral to the US market. In response to this new rumor, Mitsubishi refused to confirm the news.

"It's a vehicle that we still see as having a role in our portfolio at this time," Mitsubishi Motors North America spokesperson Jeremy Barnes said of the Mirage. "It fulfills the role of an entry-level vehicle."

If/when the Mirage is discontinued, it doesn't seem like Mitsubishi has a comparable replacement ready. Instead, the Japanese brand plans to release nine electrified models in the next five years, none of which will come close to the Mirage in price.

Mirage sales plummeted by 44% in the first half of 2023, so the writing was on the wall for this model. Who would want a three-cylinder car with just 78 horsepower when for around the same money, they could buy a more powerful used car with better technology and a nicer interior? The Mirage's available 39-mpg average was decently attractive but not enough to save it from demise.

Mitsubishi will likely take the same approach as many other automakers and pivot to focus on crossovers and SUVs, which are far easier to market for an American audience. Goodbye, Mirage. You probably won't be missed.