Mitsubishi says that it is pulling the plug on its Raider pickup, essentially a rebadged and mildly facelifted Dodge Dakota. The Japanese automaker says it won’t renew its contract with Dodge and that the 2010 model year will be the last for the slow-selling pickup truck. Mitsubishi moved just 2,935 Raiders in 2008, a 64.5 percent drop from the year before.
Mitsubishi is set to overhaul most, if not all, of its North American lineup in the near future in response to weak sales, but the automaker says it doesn’t plan to introduce another pickup in to the market. Instead, it will focus on smaller cars, including a replacement for the Galant. The Raider was the second pickup Mitsubishi sold in North America – the Mighty Max, which spawned Dodge and Plymouth-badged variants, was sold until 1996.
The Raider name has a long history of rebaging; Dodge sold a Mitsubishi Montero badged as a Raider from 1987 to 1990.
The Raider’s failure raises further questions as to how well Suzuki will do with its new Equator pickup, a very mildly rebadged version of the Nissan Frontier.
01/08, 4:19 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM is an idiot
Anything based off the dodge dakota was born to fail.
01/08, 4:24 PM
posted by:
tripleonefive
I thought they already canned this
01/08, 4:25 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
I suppose it’s an OK vehicle, but doesn’t really fit well with the rest of mitsu’s lineup
01/08, 4:27 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
I have seen exactly one of these on the road, and I am still upset about it.
01/08, 4:29 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
It’s a Dodge. Problem solved.
01/08, 4:32 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
That’s quite a coincidence. 2,935 is also the number of times the football Raiders were penalized this season.
01/08, 4:43 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
Not even a real truck. You can buy a Silverado for the price of a Raider.
Quality? Reliability? durability? That’d be a GM truck my friend. There is no substitute.
01/08, 4:55 PM
posted by:
A4
Ever seen a commercial for a Raider? No? Me either. In the midsized market i would have bought the Raider over the doofy looking Dakota any day of the week, even if only for its good looks. Go out on the street and i guarantee 90% of the people in the market for a truck never even knew it existed. And the damn thing can be had with the same V8 that is in the Dakota. They could have really marketed this a MILLION times better.
And thats funny NmofGM, even you didnt try to argue for the crappy colorado.
01/08, 5:13 PM
posted by:
Mutant@DCX
Raises questions about the Nissan Ram
01/08, 5:25 PM
posted by:
Dangerous1
Aren’t all Mitsubishi sales way down?
I could never understand why they even bothered with this truck to begin with.
01/08, 7:16 PM
posted by:
anti-believer
no kidding
01/08, 7:48 PM
posted by:
DrFill
Now, If only Dodge would shelve the Dakoter, we’d be getting somewhere
DrFill
01/08, 10:43 PM
posted by:
bimmer_mann_18
Tacoma/Hilux FTW
01/09, 2:38 AM
posted by:
sprockkets
Holy sh it? I thought Need More Oil for GM killed himself after GM admitted it sucked!
01/09, 8:15 AM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
And thats funny NmofGM, even you didnt try to argue for the crappy colorado.
Why would you compare the Colorado here? Try reading next time. I said you can buy a Silverado for the same money as this Raider. The Colorado is much cheaper and more reliable but shouldn’t even be compared here.
01/09, 11:44 PM
posted by:
iluvamcars
I always forget abou this truck until i stumble across it on the internet. Come to think of it, i completley forget about MITSUBISHI until i stumble across it.