1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gst Hatchback 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi turning Montero into crossover, Outlander Sport may get PHEV variant

Mitsubishi is getting more and more forthcoming about its plans for the US market. Among the tidbits revealed during a chat with Edmunds at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show, MMNA Executive Vice President Don Swearingen said that "We are committed to huge investments in capital as well as huge investments in R&D." The marquee product of that investment could be a new Montero for the 2017 or 2018 model year, suggestions of which were raised with the Concept GC-PHEV at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and again at the end of last year. Swearingen said the proposed SUV is a little smaller than a Ford Explorer and that dealers have seen a picture of it. A decision on whether to bring it to the US will be made later this year.
Below that, incremental improvements will come to every model over the next couple of years. The Outlander will get a facelift next year before a major restyle in 2016, when the Outlander PHEV is also expected to finally make it here. In 2015 the Outlander Sport will be fitted with larger engine and a new, quieter CVT returning better acceleration and fuel economy. In 2016 it will also be redesigned, and it will be equipped with the company's new telematics system that goes into the Outlander the following year.
At the other end of the line-up, the Mirage will get a big dose of love in two years. Detail changes like better fabric inside and outside-mirror indicators are slated for 2015, and in 2016 the bargain hatchback gets "a sleek, aerodynamic" reskin. The Mirage G4 sedan could join the US range if the Canadians turn out to be fans of it. The Lancer gets only meager attentions, while the i-MiEV gets the cold shoulder and won't change at all. We get the cold shoulder as far as a next-generation Evo - Swearingen didn't say a word about that, apparently.

Ghosn: Restoring Mitsubishi's reputation is biggest challenge

After news that Mitsubishi falsified its fuel economy data on every vehicle it has sold in Japan since 1991, and the tumble in the company's value that followed, the troubled carmaker has an unlikely savior. Nissan has confirmed it will purchase over one third of Mitsubishi's stock, or 34 percent. The stake is valued at $2.2 billion. Ghosn says making Mitsubishi a part of the Renault-Nissan alliance will save billions in development costs. But the merger certainly isn't without challenges. "The biggest challenge is to support Mitsubishi changing itself and growing and being profitable and restoring its reputation," said Ghosn. Nissan is a natural partner for Mitsubishi, and since the fuel economy scandal escalated from discrepancies in the data regarding Mitsubishi-manufactured, Nissan-badged Japan-market vehicles, it makes sense for the company to sweep in and save the day. Nissan itself is partially owned by Renault, and Nissan has a 15-percent stake in the French automaker. Mitsubishi's chairman, Osamu Masuko says that the merger was inevitable, that it "would have happened one day" anyway, according to the New York Times. Carlos Ghosn, chairman of both Nissan and Renault, is confident they will be able to turn Mitsubishi's fortunes around. "We have the track record to make it work", Ghosn said, referring to the Renault-funded rescue of Nissan in the early 2000s. Related Video:

This Mitsubishi Colt Galant is a GTO from Japan

The letters GTO have been used by several automakers – each from different countries. Depending on where your automotive enthusiasm is centered, you might associate the name with Pontiac or with Ferrari. But those weren't the only ones to use those letters. So did Mitsubishi. In fact, the 3000GT (also known as the Dodge Stealth) that competed with the likes of the Toyota Supra and Nissan 300ZX back in the 1990s was sold as the GTO back home in Japan. But Mitsu didn't pull that name out of nowhere. It was merely the revival of an old nameplate. Back in the 1970s, Mitsubishi used those letters on a version of the Colt, of all things. And that's what Petrolicious has profiled in this latest video. This Seventies-era Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO GSR belongs to one Matt De Mangos, an enthusiast, collector, and consummate tinkerer out in California who fell in love with the vintage pocket rocket. Since the Colt Galant GTO was designed for the Japanese Domestic Market, few ever made it to other markets. So De Mangos imported one privately to the United States, and invested a lot of time into researching and restoring the vehicle. The result may not be the usual classic you'd expect to see an American hot-rodder restoring, but that's apparently just the way Matt likes it. Hear his story in the video above.