Mitsubishi to Kill Dodge-Based Raider Pickup After 2010 Model Year

Despite being more attractive than the Dodge Dakota it's based on, the Mitsubishi Raider truck has suffered dismal sales and will not be replaced after the current model ends production after the 2010 model year, Mitsubishi announced today.

Sales of the 2008 Mitsubishi Raider plunged a frightening 64.5% compared to 2007, down to just 2,935 copies. That drop earns the Raider the top spot on our list of the Top Ten Worst Performing Vehicles of 2008, handily beating the Jeep Commander's 56% decline in sales. The Raider is essentially a rebadged Dodge Dakota, which also suffered a dismal year in 2008, coming in ninth on our list with a 49% drop in sales in 2008.

Mitsubishi spokesman Tetsuji Inoue told Automotive News that Chrysler will continue to supply the Raider through the 2010 model year (should Chrysler survive that long), but that the model would not be replaced after that. The death of the Raider is part of Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko's overhaul of the company's North American line-up, which is focusing on smaller, more fuel-efficient cars like a replacement for the aging Galant sedan.

The Mitsubishi Raider has suffered from poor sales since it was introduced in 2005 and recently made our list of the Top 10 Worst Rebadges of All Time, coming in seventh.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)