The Mitsubishi Mirage Is Still Alive, And It Just Got Another Facelift
Once the Cheapest Car in America
The subcompact sedan class in the U.S has gone extinct. The last one sold was the Nissan Versa, with 2025 being the final model year. But before that, there was the Mitsubishi Mirage, and it was even cheaper than the Nissan.
Sold in both sedan and hatchback forms, the Mirage was offered in America from 2014 to 2024. Prices for it started at just $12,995 for the hatchback over a decade ago, while the G4 sedan was under $15,000. Towards the end of its stay in the U.S., the pint-sized Mitsubishi went for $16,695 for the hatchback and $17,795 for the sedan. It effectively made the Almera look expensive at the time. Nonetheless, buyers ignored it, hence why it pulled out two years ago.
Still Alive in Asia and Africa
The Mirage has been discontinued in many countries, but it continues to hang around in emerging markets. The only countries that continue assembly of the model are Thailand and the Philippines. It continues to be a popular choice in Southeast Asia, catering to the budget-conscious types, fleets, and rideshare services. Lately, however, its sales have been threatened by larger and equally affordable cars from China.
In response, Mitsubishi has given the subcompact yet another facelift. Mind you, it's still the same car as before, just with a different look than the last time it was sold stateside. The updated Mirage sedan, dubbed the Attrage in Thailand, has just debuted, and it remains a cheap set of wheels.
What's New?
For 2026, the Mirage G4/Attrage gets what Thai media has been calling an Evo-inspired face. The grille is noticeably smaller than before and gets a mesh pattern instead of slats. As for the bumper, it gets a massive black garnish shaped like the letter X.
There are minor technical updates to the car as well. For starters, even the entry-level model now comes with basic advanced driver assists, although adaptive cruise isn't present. The 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine was also retuned to meet Euro 6 emissions standards, but power output remains unchanged at 77 hp and 74 lb-ft. Also, the manual transmission has been dropped for the sedan.
It's worth noting that only the sedan got a facelift. The hatchback is carried over from before, and yes, it's still being produced.
Still Cheap
The Mirage G4 still remains an affordable car despite the updates. The base model rings in at 564,000 Thai baht, which is a smidge under $17,000. The higher-spec model retails for 619,000 Thai baht, or roughly $18,500.
Of course, there's no chance of the Mirage ever returning to the U.S. The fact that it lacks side airbags already rules out its chances in North America and other countries wth strict compliance laws. Still, it's a car that refuses to be axed, and it appears that it'll hang around for even longer as long as there are markets that need it.
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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 12:30 PM.