2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Coupe 2-door 2.4l Manual Transmission Excellent Shape on 2040-cars

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Facts point to legal violations by Carlos Ghosn, says Nissan external review

YOKOHAMA, Japan — An external committee reviewing governance at Nissan Motor Co said on Wednesday there were enough facts to suspect violations of laws and the private use of company funds by ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn. Following a three-month audit of Nissan's governance after a scandal that shook the global auto industry, the committee put the blame squarely on what it called Ghosn's concentration of power. It also acknowledged Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa's role in Ghosn's salary arrangement at the heart of the scandal. Twenty years to the day since French automaker Renault SA agreed to rescue Nissan, the committee described a corporate culture at Nissan "in which no one can make any objections to Mr. Ghosn," who was "in a way deified within Nissan as a savior who had redeemed Nissan from collapse." A representative for Ghosn replied in a statement that the allegations made against the former Nissan chairman "will be revealed for what they are: part of an unsubstantiated smear campaign against Carlos Ghosn to prevent the integration of the Alliance and conceal Nissan's deteriorating performance." The group issued 38 recommendations to bolster Nissan's governance, including that top executive positions at the Japanese car maker should not be held by people serving in executive positions at Renault or junior partner Mitsubishi Motors. It also proposed that the majority of directors, including the chairman of the board, be independent, outside directors and that the role of company chairman be abolished. Responding to the committee's comments, Saikawa told reporters on Thursday that Nissan would seriously consider the committee's recommendations, which he characterized as "tough." Saikawa, who was speaking outside his home, did not specifically address his responsibility in the scandal but has previously said that top management, including himself, were responsible for weak governance which led to the misconduct. The recommendations from the external, seven-member committee came weeks after Nissan and Renault said they would retool their alliance, one of the world's biggest automaking groupings, to break up the all-powerful chairmanship previously held by Ghosn. "There are facts sufficient to suspect violations of laws and regulations, violation of internal rules and private use of company funds and expenses ... by Mr. Ghosn," the committee said in its report.

Junkyard Gem: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS

The Mitsubishi Lancer was available in the United States from the 2002 through 2017 model years, and nearly all of those cars were four-door sedans. The exception was the Lancer Sportback, a name first applied to a 2004-only wagon version and then to a hatchback Lancer sold for the 2010-2014 model years. I'm always looking for unusual Mitsubishis during my junkyard travels, be they obscure examples of badge engineering, long-forgotten marketplace failures or confusing special editions. Here's a 2010 Lancer Sportback, found in a Denver self-service yard recently. The Lancer name has a lengthy history in the United States, but all of it during the 20th century involved Dodge models. For 1955 through 1959, the Lancer name was applied to hardtop versions of Dodge's Royal, Custom and Coronet. Then it was used for the Dodge-badged version of the Plymouth Valiant for 1961 and 1962, with the Dart name gradually squeezing the Lancer name to the side during that second year. Lancers returned to American Dodge showrooms as members of the extended K-Car family, with rebadged Chrysler LeBaron GTSs sold here for the 1985 through 1989 model years. Mitsubishi began building its own Lancers all the way back in 1973, and some of those cars were sold here during the 1970s and 1980s as Dodge Colts, Dodge Challengers, Plymouth Sapporos and Plymouth Arrows. Plenty of manufacturers have used variations of the "Sportback" designation over the decades, with one of the earliest being the Nissan Pulsar NX Sportbak. Buick sold Regal Sportbacks as recently as 2020, and Audi still uses the term here today. The "Liftback" name enjoyed prominence for quite a while but has faded from mainstream use in recent years, while the "Wagonback" appellation never caught on despite Geo's best efforts. The 2010 Lancer Sportback was available in two trim levels: GTS and Ralliart. The Ralliart got a turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic shared with the Evo; the GTS had front-wheel-drive and a five-speed manual as base equipment (this car has the optional CVT with paddle shifters). The engine is a 2.4-liter straight-four rated at 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque; the Ralliart had 237 horses and 253 pound-feet. The MSRP for the 2010 Lancer Sportback GTS was $19,190, or about $27,193 in 2023 dollars. This one appears to have endured some lean times during its final months or years on the road, with several field-expedient repairs performed with tape.

FCA compromises with France, moving Renault merger bid forward

FRANKFURT/PARIS – Renault directors were preparing to review Fiat Chrysler's $35 billion merger offer on Tuesday, after the Italian-American carmaker resolved differences with the French government overnight, three sources said. The compromise on French government influence over a combined FCA-Renault may clear the way for Renault's board to approve a framework agreement beginning the long process of a full merger, unless new issues surface at the meeting. France, Renault's biggest shareholder with a 15% stake, had been pressing for its own guaranteed seat on the new board and an effective veto on CEO appointments. But after late-night talks with FCA Chairman John Elkann, the French government has accepted a compromise that would see it occupy one of four board seats allocated to Renault, balanced by four FCA appointees, the sources said. Renault would also cede one of its two seats on a four-member CEO nominations committee to the French state, they said. Renault, FCA and the French government all declined to comment on the discussions. The same evening that the compromise was was negotiated, activist hedge fund CIAM wrote to the board of Renault to say it "strongly opposed" a planned $35 billion merger with Fiat Chrysler. Calling the deal "opportunistic," the fund said the current deal terms strongly favored Fiat Chrysler and offered no control premium. (Reporting by Arno Schuetze and Laurence Frost; additional reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan and Simon Jessop; editing by Jason Neely and Rachel Armstrong) Government/Legal Chrysler Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Renault merger