Mitsubishi at LA Auto Show: Free Lunch! Yay!
The Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV. Not pictured: Lunch
Generally, when it comes to attracting auto enthusiasts to a presentation or press conference at a major auto show like LA, all an automaker needs to do is tease an exciting new concept or design study that may or may not signal future changes to its aesthetic, technological, or performance identity. For as much as people generally want to see “bold,” “innovative,” or “dynamic” concepts like the FT-1 or IDx NISMO come to life in the form of production models (particularly if it could mean reviving a beloved namebadge like Supra or Fairlady), most are just content to look at something brand new even if it’s likely to be the first and last version of it that is ever produced. It’s a pretty basic formula that pretty much any major automaker ought to be able to math out: auto show + new concept = buzz.
Yeah, about that…
When it comes to Mitsubishi at LA Auto Show, where’s what you get:
Join us for the North American debut of the Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Mitsubishi Motors press conference is at 11:35am on November 20, with lunch following.
So.
Mitsubishi, in an effort to draw attention to its booth for the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, has the following to offer:
- A year-old crossover concept
- Lunch
Just wanted to make sure we have that straight.
Oh, and to make matters even better, the XR-PHEV was actually originally slated to make its North American debut at Mitsubishi Owners Day in July but failed to make it to the event. So Mitsubishi at LA Auto Show = a missed moment from an event that happened four months ago.
Mitsubishi’s preparation for the LA Auto Show is a lot like a kid remembering at 10 pm that they have a six-page term paper on The Great Gatsby due the next morning, so they write two and a half pages about the ludes scene from The Wolf of Wall Street and go to bed content with the D- grade they know is coming.
On the other hand, Mitsubishi’s LA offering is, by a sight, better than what they brought to SEMA. What exactly did they bring to SEMA, you ask? Do you hear that? Yes, that’s the sound of crickets chirping. No, Mitsubishi did not bring a box of crickets to SEMA, because that might have constituted actually having a presence at the show.
Mitsubishi sales are up in the United States, and the Outlander PHEV is making a killing overseas. LA is arguably the second or third biggest stage for showing off new production and concept automobiles in the world, and this is the best Mitsubishi has?
Related: Mitsubishi’s National Sales Incentives
This leaves only one important question upon which Mitsubishi enthusiasts can speculate for the next two weeks: what’s for lunch? Pulled pork sandwiches? It’s pulled pork sandwiches, isn’t it?
To be fair, the fact that Mitsubishi is offering lunch at all is pretty impressive in and of itself. By now, we’d thought that its competitors had already eaten it all.
Mitsubishi, we need to level with you for a second. You might not know it because you’ve been under a rock for a while, but LA is kind of a big deal. Please. Do something.
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