Mitsubishi’s Been Cheating For A Long Time

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage (Credit: Mitsubishi )

As we reported before, Mitsubishi is in a world of hurt right now.

Instead of using some high-tech fuel economy cheat method like VW, the Japanese automaker just played with tire inflation. Now it’s coming out that the company has been doing stuff like that since 1991, but hasn’t been caught until now.

This whole fuel economy scandal isn’t helping Mitsubishi at all. It’s already been struggling to be relevant for years. About 15 years ago it was at the center of a defect cover-up, suggesting that maybe cheating is rampant in the company. In Japan, mileage fraud is illegal, so charges are likely coming soon. Since the investigation is still going on, it’s hard to tell just how bad things are going to get.

Rumors that Toyota or Nissan could gobble up Mitsubishi seem to have more clout now. Thanks to weakened stocks and disillusioned customers, this could be the end for the company.

The real question is if anyone will care if Mitsubishi is no more. Enthusiasts have been disappointed about the death of the Evo. The iMiEV is about the most pathetic electric car out there. About the only thing going for Mitsubishi is its Outlander models, and that’s not much to scream about.