Not the Accord, this Aussie-built Mitsubishi was supposed to replace the original Proton Perdana
CY Foong · Apr 27, 2023 12:00 PM
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The association between Proton and Mitsubishi has been fundamental throughout most of the first half of the Malaysian tiger’s existence. While the likes of the Mitsubishi Lancer, Colt, Mirage Asti, Galant Eterna, and Town Box were given the Proton rebadge treatment, there were a few Three Diamond models that only remained in boardroom discussions.
One of those proposed rebadges involved a Mitsubishi that was developed solely for the Australian market. If you imagine Australian carmakers, chances are you might be thinking of a Holden or a Ford but Mitsubishi was one of the brands that consisted of Australia’s Big Three.
Before we dive into how this Mitsubishi from Down Under was considered to be a replacement for the original Proton Perdana, let’s take a look at a brief history of how a Japanese carmaker set itself up to become a part of the Australian Big Three.
Down Under Detroit
An 1898 steam-powered Thomson seen at the Victoria Museum in Australia
The Australian automotive industry started off around the time Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler first fitted a combustible motor to a horseless carriage back in the late 1800s. The first Australian car was the Thomson Motor Phaeton which was introduced in 1896 but it was the 1901 Tarrant 2-cylinder that would eventually become Australia’s first homegrown petrol car.
An Australian family posing with their newly-purchased Tarrant
But both the Tarrant and Thomson motor companies would be sidelined into the forgotten parts of Australian automotive history as wealthier and more established American carmakers began to see huge potential Down Under.
Ford Australia would establish in 1925 and General Motors (GM) Australia followed suit a year later. GM eventually took over an Australian coachbuilder called Holden in 1931 and thus the war between GM and Ford entered the continental island.
Of course, we couldn’t mention a war among the Big Three without Chrysler and the third-largest American automaker group set up its Australian arm in 1951. By this time, the country’s automotive industry was receiving heavy support from its government as cars were seen as symbols of modernity and progression in a post-war era.
The first Holden Ute from 1951
Holden and Ford were the biggest carmakers in Australia offering models designed for the harsh Australian environment. That included models like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon as well as unique car-based pick-up trucks known as utes.
Chrysler Australia also offered its own unique Aussie-developed model called the Chrysler Valiant but its sales paled in comparison to Holden and Ford. The introduction of Japanese brands into the country as well as those carmakers setting up their own plants in Australia marked the beginning of the end for Chrysler Australia.
Join them if you can’t beat them
In 1971, Chrysler bought a 15% share in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and this allowed the Three Diamonds to enter some vital markets including the United States and Australia under the American brand. In 1973, Chrysler replaced the Valiant with the Valiant Galant which was based on the second-generation Mitsubishi Galant.
As the Aussie-built Galant was largely similar to the rest of the world equivalent, the first Chrysler-badged Mitsubishi did not sell well but its successor, the Chrysler Sigma would turn out to be a winner as it became a strong competitor against the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.
Unfortunately, strong sales did not save Chrysler Australia as its American parent company was facing a government bailout. MMC bought over the remaining shares and the Australian company was changed to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) in 1980.
This meant that the third Australian Big Three was now under Japanese ownership than American but like Holden and Ford, it continued to produce a model completely unique Down Under. The Sigma was given a Mitsubishi badge and maintained its position in the top 5 best-selling cars in the country in the early 1980s.
In 1985, Mitsubishi introduced the replacement to the Sigma, the Mitsubishi Magna. Based on the Galant just like its predecessor, MMAL spent AUD 50 million to develop its large car which was wider than the Galant and engineered to withstand the tough Australian roads.
The Magna was front-wheel drive (FWD) which gave an advantage in interior space compared to the rear-wheel driven (RWD) Falcon and Commodore. The first Magna was a huge success and was the third best-selling car in Australia from 1987 to 1989 but hung on to the top 5 throughout its life cycle.
The continued success of the Mitsubishi Magna soldiered on with the second and third generation which was also sold as the Mitsubishi Diamante in some overseas markets where it became the Three Diamonds’ flagship.
Third-gen Verada shown
When the second-generation Magna was introduced, MMAL also brought in a more premium variant called the Mitsubishi Verada which is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine. The third-generation Magna and Verada also won the 1996 Car of the Year award by Wheels Australia with the judges praising the car for its value for money.
Mitsubishi's plant in Tonsley Park, Adelaide
Yet, things were starting to look grim for the Australian car industry as the government was no longer supporting it as much as in the post-WWII era. Senator John Button who was the Australian Minister for Industry and Commerce introduced a plan that many Australian industry analysts described as the death knell for the country’s automotive industry.
At its peak, Australian car production hovered around 500,000 cars per year which is small considering that there are individual plants that can produce far more each year. Most of the models produced were only catered for the domestic market so very few were exported overseas.
The Button Plan, as it was called, encouraged Australian auto manufacturers to consolidate with each other to save costs and be more competitive with the rise of imports. This saw some interesting rebadges from a Toyota Camry that was badged as a Holden to Nissans that were sold as Fords.
In the end, buyers were not really into these weird badge-engineered models and as a result, carmakers start to shun away from having their cars built in Australia. Many see imports which were once hampering Aussie-made cars as a more viable and profitable way to offer their models.
The final update for the Mitsubishi Magna shown
Mitsubishi saw diminishing returns in Australia and it had spent billions of Australian dollars in developing each new generation of the Magna. By the 2000s, the award-winning third-generation Magna was dropping in the sales chart and when it came to replacing it with a fourth-generation, MMAL decided to discontinue the name and give the successor a fresh start.
The Mitsubishi 380 was a literal “make-or-break” model for MMAL and the company spent AUD 850 million in total to develop the sedan and to upgrade the Adelaide production plant. The Magna name was dropped in favour of the three-digit nomenclature as MMAL’s then-CEO, Tom Phillips said the name “conjured up images of high technology, European standards, sophistication and performance” as well as correlating directly with the 3.8-litre V6 engine that powers it.
The 380 became a sales flop and even with a price discount of up to nearly 20 percent, the large sedan failed to woo buyers. After 3 years of production with as many updates given, only 32,044 units were produced and in 2008, Mitsubishi ended vehicle production in Australia.
The end?
But the story of the Mitsubishi 380 didn’t quite end just yet as in February 2008, spyshots of the sedan with a Proton Thundercat logo began surfacing in online forums. Some have said it would be a replacement for the Proton Perdana V6 which was entering its tenth year of sale.
Only a front shot of the Mitsubishi 380-based Proton Perdana replacement remains but from the looks of things, it seemed that Proton was just going to replace the Mitsubishi logo with its Thundercat badge. It was reported that MMAL was looking to make a deal with Proton to continue production of the 380 as a successor to the Perdana.
The deal fell through and Proton decided not to replace the existing Perdana V6. As such, the Perdana V6 soldiered on until 2010 before eventually being replaced by the Honda Accord-based successors.
In retrospect, it would not make sense for the Mitsubishi 380 to be a suitable candidate for the Perdana V6’s replacement as the Mitsubishi sedan has a larger 3.8-litre V6 engine which would command a higher road tax.
Historically, donor cars that sold poorly in their respective home markets can find success in Malaysia whether as a Proton or Perodua but suffice to say, the Mitsubishi 380 is a rebadged bullet that was dodged. Proton itself was suffering from poor sales at the time the spyshot was circulated and the eventual “Accordana” wasn’t much of a sales mover either.
The next rebadged Geely model for Proton, the Proton X90
With Proton currently in a better shape than it once was 15 years ago, its rebadging days are not over but perhaps it is also a little bit wiser in choosing which cars deserve to be accepted by Malaysians.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
