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The Mitsubishi Magna was a large car built by Mitsubishi Motors of Australia. Prior to that, Mitsubishi, as one of Australia's Big Three automakers, did not field a full-size car to rival the Ford Falcon, although it did build the Chrysler Valiant after it took over Chrysler's Australian operations in 1978. However, to compete in the Australian market, a car's width is very important and the former Chrysler Australia engineers set to work on creating a car that would battle in the old Valiant segment.

The Magna failed to help Mitsubishi compete effectively in this niche and by the time it was discontinued, Mitsubishi had lost market share in the Australian car marketplace.

Model History

It was originally a widened version of the 1984 Mitsubishi Galant Sigma, featuring the 2.6 L Astron four-cylinder engine.

The first Magna, the TM series, was available as a sedan and a station wagon and had an identical profile to the smaller Galant. However, it was noticeably wider. The Magna was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1985.

The model was revamped for 1992 as a formal sedan and wagon version of the then-hardtop Mitsubishi Diamante. In Australia, the six-cylinder model was called the Verada, while exported versions to New Zealand wore the Mitsubishi V3000 badge. Some European markets received this model as the Mitsubishi Sigma—no relation to an earlier model that had this name.

In 1996, Mitsubishi released a third-generation model of the Magna, with the same bodyshell as the Diamante. A 2.4L four-cylinder and a 3.0L V6 were initially available in the Magna, while a 3.5L V6 was offered in the upscale Verada (many of which are exported as the Diamante to Japan, the US until recently, and other markets). The four-cylinder Magna was dropped at the end of 1998 due to poor sales. The Magna/Verada was again Wheels’ Car of the Year for 1996.

Troubling Reputation

The Magna had always been known as a "cardigan car" due to its popularity amongst older drivers. Perhaps this can be attributed to the conservative exterior styling and bland interior trim.

Early versions of the Magna were plagued by a number of mechanical problems. There were frequent and well-publicised problems with the transmission system and engine. Despite Mitsubishi handling these failures well (there have been cases reported where Mitsubishi replaced transmissions outside of warranty) it hurt Magna's reputation badly. This combined with Mitsubishi's continual discounting of the car resulted in a very poor resale value. This made it unattractive to fleet buyers who generally use financial arrangements that favour replacing their cars every three to four years.

The worsening crisis engulfing Mitsubishi also helped decrease sales as doubts spread about the viability of the company.

By 2005, when production ceased, the car being offered to consumers was a ten year old model with a few enhancements.

Poor Sales

In 2003, new models featuring an extensive facelift styled by designer Olivier Boulay. However apart from cosmetic changes, the car remained the same. The car's design was controversial and not well received by Australian buyers. Inevitably, sales slowed dramatically.

An extended warranty campaign was launched in late 2004 to bolster sales of the Magna/Verada line. This helped reduce the number of stockpiled vehicles, an important requirement in the lead-up to the launch of the Magna replacement, the Mitsubishi 380.

Production Ceases

Production of the Mitsubishi 380, a car based loosely on the US production model Galant with extensive re-engineering for Australian conditions, began in August 2005, bringing to an end the 20 year production of the Magna/Verada line. However, the Mitsubishi 380 appears to be faring poorly in the Australian market.

External links

• Australian Magna Club
• Mitsubishi Owners Group - Western Australia
• Mitsubishi Magna Encyclopedia

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