Upcoming Raider powers struggling Mitsubishi

[BMWDave]

Upcoming Raider powers struggling Mitsubishi into mid-sized pickup segment
KATHY JACKSON | Automotive News
Posted Date: 8/23/05
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Talk about swaps.

From 1986 to 1990, Mitsubishi produced an SUV for Dodge called the Raider. It was based on the Mitsubishi Montero.

Now Mitsubishi is using the Raider name to sell its first pickup since 1997, when it stopped sales of the Mighty Max. The 2006 Mitsubishi Raider is based on the Dodge Dakota and goes on sale in late September.

The truck comes on the heels of the successful launch of the redesigned Eclipse sports coupe in May.

Mitsubishi wants the Raider to reinforce its reputation for sporty vehicles that are loaded with power.

" 'The only mid-sized import pickup truck with a V-8' will be our rallying cry," Dave Schembri, executive vice president of sales and marketing, said here at a media event introducing the truck. "Why drive a pickup when you can drive a pick-me-up?"

Plenty of power

The Raider comes in three trim levels: LS, DuroCross and XLS.

A 210-hp V-6 engine is standard on the base model. A 230-hp V-8 is available on the DuroCross and XLS. Both engines are supplied by the Chrysler group.

Base models of the Raider's two major import-brand competitors, the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, are powered by four-cylinder engines. The Tacoma's base engine gets 164 hp and the Frontier's gets 154 hp.

The V-6 on the Honda Ridgeline makes 255 hp. But the nearly $30,000 price tag on the entry-level Ridgeline is almost $10,000 more than the entry-level Raider.

"This truck can do as much or more than any other mid-sized truck," Schembri says.

The Raider V-6 is teamed with either a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The V-8 has a five-speed automatic.

All models come in either extended cab or four-door configurations and are available in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is standard on the XLS.

Standard features on the base model include antilock brakes, air conditioning, tinted glass, rear access doors and an audio system with a CD player and four speakers.

Sirius Satellite Radio will be offered for the first time on any Mitsubishi vehicle.

"This truck will give us a good shot in the arm," says Al Gossett, owner of Gossett Mitsubishi in Memphis, Tenn. "But for it to be successful, it must be super, super, super competitive pricewise."

Schembri says prices will be announced close to the sale date. But he says they will range from under $20,000 to about $30,000.

"This launch will not be easy because we're starting from a zero awareness base," he says. "But Eclipse has set a foundation for us."

Healthy ad spending

Schembri says Mitsubishi will spend about the same to market the Raider as it did the Eclipse, an estimated $40 million to $50 million.

In addition, dealers will have extra money for regional advertising.

The automaker revived dealer advertising groups in April. Dealers started drawing on that money in July.

The first Raider ads probably will begin appearing on the Internet and on billboards before the vehicle goes on sale, Schembri says. TV commercials may start in the last week in September, he says.

Schembri would not predict sales.

[Raghavan]

LOL! The eclipse had a SUCCESSFUL launch?? I don't think so.

[thewizard16]

How is a Mitsubishi branded, even uglier version of the Dakota going to help save the company? The V8 they're offfering has less horsepower than the Tacoma (15 more) or Frontier (35 more) V6s (on their import with more power image thinking), without having much more torque than either. (8 and 6 lb-fts, respectively)

[ifcar]

I like the sound of the pricing anyway. I wish they'd swapped out the steering wheel with a Mitsu-issue one.