By Nat Shirley
Wednesday, Dec 26th, 2012 @ 1:38 pm
 
After months of internal debates concerning whether to bring its Mirage subcompact to the United States, Mitsubishi finally decided in the affirmative last November. Now, the automaker has released several new details pertaining to the pint-sized hatchback.
 
When it makes its U.S. debut in September 2013, the Mirage will feature a 1.2-liter three-cylinder under the hood, Mitsubishi revealed to Car and Driver. In Europe, the naturally-aspirated motor produces 79 horsepower and 78 lb-ft of torque; it’s unclear whether those figures will increase for the U.S.-market version.
 
Though it isn't exactly overburdened with grunt, the three-cylinder won’t have a great deal of car to pull around: the Mirage is just an inch longer than the tiny Chevrolet Spark, and it weights roughly as much as a smart fortwo.
 
Mitsubishi is hoping that the Mirage, along with redesigned 2014 Outlander, will help increase the automaker’s U.S. sales total to 80,000 units for the next fiscal year. Hampered by the death of its core Galant, Endeavor and Eclipse models, Mitsubishi has predicted that its volume will total just 55,000 units for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.
  

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