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Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget

We rarely hear any major news coming out of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, but Mitsubishi executives found this a fitting place to announce a big push for increased advertising here in the US. A report in Automotive News states that the struggling Japanese automaker is returning to advertising in prime time television for the first time since 2005, with the push slated to begin in June and July for the launch of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander shown above.
Despite dwindling sales and a shrinking lineup, Mitsubishi's new North American chairman, Gayu Uesugi, has said on multiple occasions that the automaker has no plans to abandon the US market. Spending extra money on marketing and advertising should be a good start to help improve sales, but a lack of fresh and competitive products is also keeping showrooms empty. Aside from the new Outlander, the AN report says that Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa said that a "yet-to-be-named subcompact" will arrive this year, which suggests the unnamed hatchback shown below (known elsewhere as the Mirage), could be heading to the US after its North American introduction at the Montreal Auto Show last month.

Mitsubishi prices 2014 Outlander from $22,995*

Mitsubishi will gladly sell you a 2014 Outlander ES for $22,995, excluding an $835 destination fee. Buyers can step up to the middle-tier Outlander SE for $23,795, or around $200 less than last year. That stack of cash will net you 18-inch aluminum wheels, a 6.1-inch LCD information display, dual-zone climate control and other goodies. Somewhat more impressively, Mitsubishi has cut the price tag for the Outlander GT by $800. That machine will run you $27,795, and throws in a more potent V6 engine, the company's Super All-Wheel Control system and HID headlamps.
The 2014 Outlander bows with an all-new exterior design, and base models receive a 166-horsepowr 2.4-liter four-cylinder paired with a continuously variable transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. That driveline is good for 24 miles per gallon city and 29 mpg highway. Check out the full pricing press release below and our own Jonathon Ramsey's first drive here.

Our best look yet at the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi's has been busily clawing its way back from the brink of irrelevancy in the US market for several years. One of its most important models in that mission is the Outlander CUV, and as we can see from these spy photos, it's upcoming refresh is coming along nicely.
The Outlander was last redesigned for model year 2014, so it does feel a smidge early for a refresh. That said, thanks to a rather polarizing front fascia, we aren't totally surprised that Mitsu has gone to work so soon. Based on these spy shots, we wouldn't be totally surprised if the new Outlander borrowed the more attractive face of Outlander PHEV Concept-S, which was shown back in September during the Paris Motor Show.
It's impossible to tell if the rear of the car will borrow the huge, vehicle-spanning taillights of the Concept-S, but like the front end, we'd expect a fairly significant change to the back of the new Outlander. Our spies also captured a few shots of the cabin, although we don't see any dramatic differences from the current vehicle, aside from some different trim pieces.