The Mitsubishi Mirage minicar has been an unexpected sales success for the Japanese carmaker, which has struggled in the U.S. market.
While sales of other subcompact cars have declined in the face of low gas prices, the Mirage has held steady.
Now, Mitsubishi is looking to keep the streak growing by adding a new Mirage variant to the lineup.
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A Mirage sedan is already sold in other markets, and soon the four-door model will be offered in the U.S. alongside the current five-door hatchback.
The Mirage sedan will arrive in showrooms later this year, Mitsubishi executives confirmed to Wards Auto in a recent interview.
Besides sporting a trunk, the Mirage sedan sold outside the U.S. also features somewhat different front end styling to the hatchback.
2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
It's also known as the Mirage G4 or the Attrage, depending on the locale.
Mitsubishi expects the sedan to eat into sales of the Mirage hatchback somewhat, but believes adding a second body style will ultimately boost sales.
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Don Swearingen--executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America--told Wards that he thinks the sedan is sportier, and will appear to buyers who might not like the hatchback's looks.
U.S. buyers have traditionally been less interested in hatchbacks than their counterparts in Europe and Asia.
2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
That's led several automakers to create sedan versions of their small cars, sometimes making them unique to North America.
The Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Rio are all offered as both four-door sedans and five-door hatchbacks.
MORE: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: 40-MPG Minicar Gas Mileage Test (Oct 2013)
If nothing else, Mitsubishi will finally be able to meet this competition on both fronts.
The Mirage sedan will likely use the same 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine as the hatchback, which produces 74 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque.
It may not be much power, but it allows the Mirage to achieve an EPA-rated 40 mpg combined (37 mpg city, 44 mpg highway) with the CVT automatic, and 37 mpg combined (34 mpg city, 42 mpg highway) with the five-speed manual.
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