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

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Mitsubishi Lancer, Outlander Sport named 2013 IIHS Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has added a pair of Mitsubishi models to its ever-growing list of 2013 Top Safety Picks, giving the prestigious safety award to the 2013 Outlander Sport and Lancer (sedan and Sportback). Both models make a return visit to the list, but with 117 cars now on the list and IIHS crash standards getting tougher just about every, this is big news for the small Japanese automaker.
Among small SUVs, the Outlander Sport is just one of nine vehicles in this segment to be named a Top Safety Pick, while the Lancer's name is surrounded by 28 other compact coupes, sedans and hatchbacks in the highly competitive small car segment. The Top Safety Pick status does not apply to the Lancer's Ralliart or Evolution variants, and neither the Outlander Sport nor the Lancer were subjected to the new small frontal offset crash test that would have resulted in the new Top Safety Pick+.
Scroll down for Mitsubishi's press release.

Mitsubishi shows off its boxy new XFC Concept

Mitsubishi’s lineup has dwindled in the United States, but its presence is strongest in Asia, where it offers several vehicles not destined for our shores. Its latest concept vehicle previews a vision for a small utility vehicle with beefy styling and a futuristic interior. The XFC Concept is a compact SUV that Mitsubishi calls the “best-suited buddy for an exciting life.” ItÂ’s debuting at the Vietnam Motor Show later this month and is initially destined for life in Southeast Asia, though the company says it wants to expand that presence globally. The conceptÂ’s styling is a departure for the brand, whose other recent releases havenÂ’t been the easiest vehicles on the eyes (cough, cough, Outlander). Boxy lines and unique lighting are standout visual elements on the XFC, and the rear fender flares give it a muscular stance. Concepts rarely make it to production unchanged, so Mitsubishi is likely to alter the XFCÂ’s fantastic interior before release. The cabin appears to offer a mix of materials and large windows. Mitsubishi says it has class-leading interior space and notes that it focused on making the vehicle as comfortable as possible over rough roads. Flooding is an issue in the XFCÂ’s home region, so Mitsubishi gave it good ground clearance and four drive modes. Drivers can choose between normal, wet, gravel, and mud modes, and Mitsubishi says it developed the new wet mode specifically with Southeast Asian countries in mind. Mitsubishi will launch the XFC in 2023 and says an electric variant is coming down the road. Though itÂ’s still in the concept stage, the automaker plans for the SUV to become a core model for the brand on the global stage, alongside vehicles like its popular Xpander MPV.

Nissan and Carlos Ghosn settle SEC claims over undisclosed compensation

WASHINGTON — Nissan and its former Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn have agreed to settle claims from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over false financial disclosures related to Ghosn's compensation, an SEC statement said on Monday. Nissan will pay $15 million, while Ghosn agreed to a $1 million civil penalty and a 10-year ban from serving as an officer or director of a publicly traded U.S. company, the SEC statement said. Ghosn was arrested in Japan and fired by Nissan last year. He is awaiting trial in Tokyo on financial misconduct charges that he denies. Former Nissan human resources official Gregory Kelly agreed to a $100,000 penalty and a five-year officer and director ban. Nissan, Ghosn, and Kelly settled without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations and findings. The SEC said in total Nissan in its financial disclosures omitted more than $140 million to be paid to Ghosn in retirement — a sum that ultimately was not paid. The SEC also accused Ghosn in a suit filed in New York that he engaged in a scheme to conceal more than $90 million of compensation. That suit is being settled as part of the agreement announced Monday. Nissan confirmed it had settled the allegations and said it "is firmly committed to continuing to further cultivate robust corporate governance." Nissan provided significant cooperation to the SEC, the agency said. The company now has a new governance structure with three statutory committees — audit, compensation and nomination — and has amended its securities reports for all relevant years. The SEC said beginning in 2004 Nissan's board delegated to Ghosn the authority to set individual director and executive compensation levels, including his own. The SEC said "Ghosn and his subordinates, including Kelly, crafted various ways to structure payment of the undisclosed compensation after Ghosn's retirement, such as entering into secret contracts, backdating letters to grant Ghosn interests in Nissan's Long Term Incentive Plan, and changing the calculation of Ghosn's pension allowance to provide more than $50 million in additional benefits." "Investors are entitled to know how, and how much, a company compensates its top executives. Ghosn and Kelly went to great lengths to conceal this information from investors and the market," said Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement.