With sales leaping 35% this year, Mitsubishi will finish 1997 with a record year which will see it on the right side of the ledger*, and the only local manufacturer to increase market share.

It will be a record year not only for total Mitsubishi sales but for its locally-produced car, the Magna/Verada.

With sales up 27% this year, Magna/Verada continues to outsell new Camry with a string of record sales months under its belt in the face of fresh competition.

Lancer/Mirage sales are up by 76% and Triton light commercials by 30%.

Pajero sales are up 20%, making it the second-best selling 4wd wagon on the market year-to-date, demand outstripping supply for the highest-specced models since the upgraded Pajero was released in September.

Mitsubishi’s market share has grown from 9.3% last year to 11.3% for the 11 months to November while market share for the other three local makers has declined.

The company will sell a record 100,000 vehicles this year, including 18,000 locally-made Magnas/Veradas to export markets.

Managing Director, Mr Mike Quinn, said the 1997 vehicle market would be an all-time record of around 718,000, up over 10% on last year and well ahead of the previous record of 695,000 set in 1985.

"But the growth was patchy. Four-wheel drives were up nearly 40% and small cam nearly 25%, but medium four-cylinder cars were down 5% and big six and eight-cylinder cars were static. Medium fours, once touted to replace sixes as the Aussie family car, now represent only 9% of the passenger car market," Mr Quinn said.

And next year?

"We expect the market to be slightly down on 1997 given similar unemployment and inflation figures and a ‘friendly’ pre-election federal budget. The wild card is fluctuating Asian currencies which could impact on the growth of the small car segment."