Official: Mitsubishi India discontinues the Cedia sedan

Over the last six months, the Hindustan Motors-Mitsubishi car making combine has discontinued no less than three cars: the Lancer, the Pajero SFX and the Cedia, in that order. While first wind about Mitsubishi discontinuing these cars hit the interweb late last year through two web reports, here and here, the car maker's website has finally been updated with the information of the Cedia being discontinued.

The Lancer sedan and the Pajero SUV have been removed altogether from Mitsubishi's Indian website. While the Lancer and Cedia were manufactured in India, at Hindustan Motors's Tiruvallur factory, the Pajero SFX was assembled in the same factory through the completely knocked down (CKD) kit route. 

While the Lancer and Cedia were poor sellers, trampled by newer competition in the Indian car market, the Pajero SFX SUV sold gamely even in the face of the ever increasing competition. The Pajero SFX had to finally make way for its successor, the Pajero Sport model. Mitsubishi stopped producing the SFX in order to avoid cannibalization with the Pajero Sport SUV. 

Coming to the Cedia C-Segment sedan, the car enjoyed some success in the Indian rallying circuit. The car was available in India only with a 2 liter petrol engine, a major handicap in a diesel-happy market. The Cedia's 2 liter petrol engine was good for 115 Bhp-175 Nm, the engine's torque output being a best-in-class figure for naturally aspirated motors in the segment. 

The 2 liter petrol engine was mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard. Known for its excellent ride and handling dynamics, the Cedia was an enthusiast's delight. However, the car suffered from lack of proper marketing and after sales support from Hindustan Motors-Mitsubishi, what with many dealerships closing down.

Just before the production of the Cedia was stopped, the car was sold at an attractive price tag of 7.99 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi, Considering the equipment on offer, the fire-sale price of the Cedia represented stonking value. The car's last few models came with the following equipment on offer: ABS+EBD, twin airbags, Keyless entry, tilt adjustable steering, electric wing mirrors, power assist for all 4 windows, 16 inch alloy wheels and a factory fitted stereo system.