1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Hatchback 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Europe boss says two new PHEV crossovers due next year

In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi's European CEO Bernard Loire told the publication, "In the second half of next year we will have a replacement of the current Outlander. It will be on an alliance platform. There also will be another smaller SUV coming at the same time." The statements came in response to a question about expanding the automaker's plug-in hybrid lineup, leading readers to expect that by this time next year, Mitsubishi will have two crossover PHEVs on the market. The current Outlander has been on the market since late 2012, the plug-in hybrid showing for the 2014 model year. We've already seen fairly polished versions of fourth-generation Outlander prototypes out testing, sporting looks inspired by the Engelberg Tourer concept revealed at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Some suspect the 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the current PHEV powertrain will make way for a 2.4-liter mill as in the Engelberg, paired with high-efficiency motors on both axles. The show car also touted features like all-wheel drive improved with active yaw control and enhanced anti-lock braking software. Figure on an EV range that improves the current Outlander PHEV's 22 miles, going perhaps as far as the Engelberg's 43 miles. Loire didn't give away anything about the second model, but an Autocar report from earlier this year quoted "a senior source" as saying "We will not have a unique nameplate" for the second battery-electric vehicle. The magazine said the Eclipse Cross and Outlander Sport are in line for series hybrid powertrains, without indicating which might come first. Loire told AN the brand's doing fine with respect to Europe's coming CO2 legislation, so it doesn't need to make rash moves. With the Eclipse Cross forming 20% of sales on the Continent, the middle crossover would be a rational choice for the next plug-in hybrid, especially since it's retiring the 2.2-liter diesel option around the end of 2020. On the other hand, the Outlander Sport will be 10 years old next year, a replacement can't be far away. The new plug-ins come with the realignment of Mitsubishi's crossover range. The Outlander, sitting on a new architecture shared among the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, will grow into a proper mid-size choice; the prototype spotted in Michigan is clearly larger than the current vehicle.

Junkyard Gem: 1983 Mitsubishi 4WD SPX Truck

Mitsubishi began building the Forte small pickup in 1978, and Chrysler quickly started selling the Forte in North America with Dodge D-50/Dodge Ram 50/Plymouth Arrow Truck badging. Mitsubishi-badged vehicles first showed up on our shores as 1983 models, with four models available: the Cordia liftback coupe, the Tredia sedan, the Starion sports car and the Truck. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of the very first of those Mitsubishis to be sold in the United States, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard recently. This series is all about gems of automotive history, and we've got a really rare bit of Mitsubishi Motors history here with this August 1982 build date. I've documented six discarded (Mitsubishi-badged) Mitsubishis from the 1983 model year prior to now, and none had build dates earlier than January of 1983. This pickup may have been on the first shipload of new Mitsubishis to arrive at San Pedro (while the town's most legendary band was just becoming known outside of Southern California). Even my discovery of one of the very first Camrys sold in North America (in the same junkyard a few years back) isn't as cool as this. The commonly used name for all of the first-generation (1983-1986) Mitsubishi pickups is "Mighty Max," but a look through contemporary price guides (of which I have an extensive library) and Mitsubishi Motors USA's own marketing materials shows that the official name for this truck was "Truck," available in Mighty Max, Turbo Diesel and SPX sub-designations. Other Japanese manufacturers also sold vehicles named Trucks and Vans here, with the Toyota Truck (aka Hilux everywhere else in the world) being the best-known. Later on, Mitsubishi fully embraced the Mighty Max trim level as the model name for all the Forte/Triton-based pickups it sold here. For the 1983 model, the Mighty Max was the cheapest Mitsubishi Truck, sold only with 2.0-liter engine, rear-wheel-drive and four-on-the-floor manual transmission. This is a 4WD SPX with automatic transmission, the most expensive Mitsubishi Truck available in 1983. It has the 2.6-liter Astron SOHC four-cylinder engine, rated at 108 horsepower and 142 pound-feet. The Astron went into a wide variety of U.S.-market vehicles over the years, including Chrysler K-Cars and Dodge Challengers. Such luxury! The Dodge-badged version of this truck, the Ram 50, remained available all the way through the second generation of Forte and the 1994 model year.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will be crossing over to the US sometime in the fall

Here it is, Mitsubishi's latest effort to take a piece of the CUV pie, the Eclipse Cross. The crossover makes its official debut at the Geneva Show, and it looks just aggressive enough to be unique, but not so strange that it will scare away the average buyer. Most interesting are the aggressive cues cribbed from the XR-PHEV II Concept, like the forward-raked rear hatch, chunky rear fenders, and deep crease along the side. However, the shape is still clearly crossover, and the nose isn't too radical. In fact, it may be the most attractive version of Mitsubishi's shield grille yet. Interestingly, the Eclipse Cross is within an inch or two size-wise compared with the existing Outlander Sport, though this should change down the road when a newer, smaller Outlander Sport is introduced. The interior follows a similar theme to the exterior. The most striking aspect is the center stack, which slants downward toward the shifter and juts out over the climate control buttons. But everything is finished in simple, inoffensive black and aluminum-look trim. The sliding and reclining rear seats should be useful for comfort and cargo space. Next to the shifter is a touch-pad that looks extremely similar to the pad Lexus uses for its systems. A couple of our editors find the Lexus version to be rather awful, so hopefully Mitsubishi has refined and improved it. As a back-up, you can simply use the touch screen perched atop the dash, which may be more handy for using the car's default user interface, or the supported Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Also on the dash is a pop-up heads-up display similar to that in current Mazdas. View 11 Photos One big selling point for the Eclipse Cross is its standard all-wheel drive. There is also just one engine and one transmission. Power comes from a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline inline-four, and it's channeled through a CVT with 8 ratios that can be manually shifted. Mitsubishi has yet to announce output for the four-pot. Other markets will have the option of a 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel four-cylinder with an 8-speed automatic, but it won't make the trip to the States. Europe will be the first to get the Eclipse Cross, where it will show up at dealers this fall. Afterward, it will arrive in other markets, including the US. So expect it to appear sometime at the end of this year, or possibly the start of next year. Pricing has not been announced yet. Related Video: