The Summit was a badge engineered version of the Mitsubishi Mirage.
In a pairing of the Japanese-built Mitsubishi Mirage and the identical Eagle Summit to test if Lee Iacocca's theory was true regarding the preference of a Japanese to an American brand on similar cars, Popular Mechanics found that American consumers were "not sold on Japanese cars.
Quite the opposite.
They want to "Buy American," but the Japanese manufacturers seem to offer more of the type of cars Americans need and at a better price, and from more cooperative dealers."
Originally assembled in Japan, starting with the 1991 model year, the Eagle Summits were built by Diamond-Star Motors (DSM), a joint-venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi, in Normal, Illinois.

1989: Summit was introduced as a sedan in DL and LX trim, both powered by a 1.5-liter 8-valve 4-cylinder engine with 81 hp (60 kW).
 The LX could have a 1.6-liter 16-valve DOHC engine with 123 hp (92 kW).
The 100.7 cubic feet (2.85 m³) of interior volume classified the Summit into the compact car class, while most of its competitors were still subcompacts.
The Summit was also noted for its generous rear legroom.

1990: A low-cost base model was added to the bottom of the Summit line.
 Added to the top was a new ES, which paired the 1.6-liter engine with a sport suspension, 4-wheel-disc brakes, and 14-inch (360 mm) alloy wheels with P195/60R14 tires.
 All models received all-capital lettering on the back.

1991: The 1.5-liter engine output increased to 92 hp (69 kW; 93 PS) due to 4 additional valves (for 12 total).
The ES models returned to  13-inch (330 mm) wheels and disc brakes on only the front.
 New was the 2-door Summit hatchback; both it and the sedan came in base and ES trims.
 The manual transmission was a 4-speed on the base hatchback and a 5-speed on all others; the automatic was a 3-speed on hatchbacks and a 4-speed on sedans.
 All models featured a new front grille.

1992: The Summit Wagon joined the line, and it was a completely different vehicle featuring a high roofline and sliding rear side door.
This "crossover" design was actually a rebadged Mitsubishi RVR, thus not related to the Mirage-based Summits.
The Wagon was available in DL and LX trims, as well as in a four-wheel drive (AWD) version.
The new Summit Wagon was marketed as blending the maneuverability of a small car with the roominess of a minivan with its interior offering high seating positions and removable rear seats.
It was designed to attract young families with seating for five.
The Summit was a badge engineered version of the Mitsubishi Mirage. In a pairing of the Japanese-built Mitsubishi Mirage and the identical Eagle Summit to test if Lee Iacocca's theory was true regarding the preference of a Japanese to an American brand on similar cars, Popular Mechanics found that American consumers were "not sold on Japanese cars. Quite the opposite. They want to "Buy American," but the Japanese manufacturers seem to offer more of the type of cars Americans need and at a better price, and from more cooperative dealers." Originally assembled in Japan, starting with the 1991 model year, the Eagle Summits were built by Diamond-Star Motors (DSM), a joint-venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi, in Normal, Illinois.
1989: Summit was introduced as a sedan in DL and LX trim, both powered by a 1.5-liter 8-valve 4-cylinder engine with 81 hp (60 kW).  The LX could have a 1.6-liter 16-valve DOHC engine with 123 hp (92 kW). The 100.7 cubic feet (2.85 m³) of interior volume classified the Summit into the compact car class, while most of its competitors were still subcompacts. The Summit was also noted for its generous rear legroom.
1990: A low-cost base model was added to the bottom of the Summit line.  Added to the top was a new ES, which paired the 1.6-liter engine with a sport suspension, 4-wheel-disc brakes, and 14-inch (360 mm) alloy wheels with P195/60R14 tires.  All models received all-capital lettering on the back.
1991: The 1.5-liter engine output increased to 92 hp (69 kW; 93 PS) due to 4 additional valves (for 12 total). The ES models returned to  13-inch (330 mm) wheels and disc brakes on only the front.  New was the 2-door Summit hatchback; both it and the sedan came in base and ES trims.  The manual transmission was a 4-speed on the base hatchback and a 5-speed on all others; the automatic was a 3-speed on hatchbacks and a 4-speed on sedans.  All models featured a new front grille.
1992: The Summit Wagon joined the line, and it was a completely different vehicle featuring a high roofline and sliding rear side door. This "crossover" design was actually a rebadged Mitsubishi RVR, thus not related to the Mirage-based Summits. The Wagon was available in DL and LX trims, as well as in a four-wheel drive (AWD) version. The new Summit Wagon was marketed as blending the maneuverability of a small car with the roominess of a minivan with its interior offering high seating positions and removable rear seats. It was designed to attract young families with seating for five.
Eagle Summit