Here's the thing: in a market where almost all the new car buyers are affluent and can afford "wealthy country luxury," it's no wonder that small, economic penalty boxes like the Chevy Spark and Ford Fiesta get discontinued left and right when you think about how depreciation and the used market works.
I think you'd have to be batshit insane to buy a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage for $17k when the used market is flooded with much better cars that are barely used for the same price.
You can get a 2021 Hyundai Sonata with under 30,000 miles for that kind of money. Basically, a brand new car, one that's far larger, more refined, faster, more features, etc.
Those economy boxes make a lot of sense in countries where buying something higher end is less attainable. But in a world where someone leases a $40,000 car for 3 years, dumps it back to the dealership, a $20,000 new car can't compete with an originally-$40,000 3-year-old car with 30,000 miles.
I think you'd have to be batshit insane to buy a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage for $17k when the used market is flooded with much better cars that are barely used for the same price.
You can get a 2021 Hyundai Sonata with under 30,000 miles for that kind of money. Basically, a brand new car, one that's far larger, more refined, faster, more features, etc.
Those economy boxes make a lot of sense in countries where buying something higher end is less attainable. But in a world where someone leases a $40,000 car for 3 years, dumps it back to the dealership, a $20,000 new car can't compete with an originally-$40,000 3-year-old car with 30,000 miles.