2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi eX Concept portends an electric future

Mitsubishi's future is electric, and the Japanese brand's eX Concept presents its vision for a crossover EV for the years to come at the Tokyo Motor Show. At the same time, the company is using this opportunity to show off some next-gen tech that could arrive in production models someday. To get around, the all-wheel-drive eX Concept packs front and rear electric motors that each produce 94 horsepower, and they're powered by a 45-kilowatt-hour, lithium-ion battery under the passenger compartment. For added traction, the torque split is variable between the back wheels, and braking can adjust things at the nose. Plus, sensors and cameras can read the road ahead and tweak the system accordingly. The eX portends what's next for the company's design language, but traces from the latest Outlander are still visible. Up front, there's a revised version of the brand's X-shaped grille that Mitsubishi calls the Dynamic Shield, but here the turn signals and LED running lights are placed at the top. The concept's bigger innovation to the brand's styling language is the floating roof that makes the side glass appear to wrap around the body. Mitsubishi highlights some future tech inside by using an augmented reality windshield. The idea is to display important info right on the glass to keep a driver's eye on the road, and it also means just a few digital displays are necessary for the physical instruments. For safety, a front-mounted camera and radar also help spot pedestrians and other potential hazards. Mitsubishi goes into elaborate detail about all of the eX's features in the announcement below. MITSUBISHI eX Concept – World Premiere ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Evolution in EV Technology + Heart-thumping SUV Allure Next-generation Compact SUV ?The MITSUBISHI eX Concept is a vision for a compact SUV powered by a next-generation EV system. In terms of design, overall it evokes the image of a sports crossover zipping nimbly around town as it merges the elegance and stylishness of a "shooting brake" (a term for a coupe with flowing styling fused with a hatchback car, the term originates from British hunting-use horse carriages) with compact SUV lines. The front end expresses a new interpretation of MMC's Dynamic Shield front design concept. In both its exterior and interior, the MITSUBISHI eX Concept indicates the direction MMC Design is taking.

Your 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb primer: "Donuts at 14,000 feet."

The teams have all set up their pits and paddocks for today's run of the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and there's nothing left to do but take a shot at the title. At 8 am Mountain time (9 am EST / 7 am PST), the first of a field of 83 bikes and 63 cars - whittled from an original field of 157 - will race 12.42 miles through 156 turns from the start gate at 9,390 feet to the summit finish at 14,110 feet. The summit is where we'll be all day, having arrived on the media bus at around 5 am and not allowed to come down until the race is finished. If it's anything like last year that could mean a 14-hour day on the top munching on donuts at the summit café, begging for hits of pure oxygen and trying to stay hydrated and warm...
Here are the event with Hyundai, we enjoyed dinner with Rhys Millen got his take on what's happened and what's about to happen. Millen said the issue that caused his engine swap last week was minor, a head gasket (a production part) that was causing a bit of hesitation and a slight drop in top speed. He said it's the first time they've stressed the engines this hard, pushing boost pressures up to 19 psi at altitude, which equates to 25 psi at sea level. Offering testament to the strength of the engines, though, he said that Paul Dallenbach's engine did the entire 2012 drift season as well as Pikes Peak, and it's the engine being used again for the hill climb this year.
We also chatted with Dallenbach, who has come back from that beastly crash last year in the Unlimited category to lead almost every practice day this year in the Time Attack class. Telling us he's happier behind the wheel this year than he has been in 20 years, he asked us, "Know what my dashboard says when I turn the car on? 'Donuts at 14,000 feet.'"

Automakers Renault, Nissan will become equals, with equal stakes in each other

TOKYO — Nissan and Renault have agreed to equalize the stakes they hold in each other, both sides said Monday, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance. Up to now, Renault Group has held a 43.4% stake in Nissan Motor Co., potentially giving it a larger say in how the Japanese automaker is run. It will transfer shares equivalent to a 28.4% stake to a French trust so each side will hold the same 15% stake in the other, according to the companies. The disparity between the holdings was a cause of friction, especially after Nissan became far more profitable than Renault. The agreement on the change is still being finalized and needs board approval from both companies. The companies said the shares in the French trust can eventually be sold but did not say to whom or how. They said the sale will be carried out in a “coordinated and orderly process” if a deal makes commercial sense to Renault Group, and that there is no time deadline. Until then, the voting rights would be “neutralized” for most managerial decisions, but the economic rights, such as dividends, will continue to go to Renault, the companies said. The top shareholder in Renault is the French government. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month. The alliance has had its ups and downs since it began in 1999, when Renault sent one of its executives, Carlos Ghosn, to then-struggling Nissan to lead a turnaround. Ghosn first served as Nissan's chief executive and later its chairman before he was arrested in late 2018 on various financial misconduct charges. The alliance, which also includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motor Corp. and remains one of the world's top auto groups, has been eager to put the Ghosn scandal behind it. Allegations against Ghosn include underreporting income, using investment funds for personal gain and illicit use of company expenses, including overseas homes and a yacht. Ghosn said he is innocent of all charges. He jumped bail in late 2019 and is now in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. The equalization of the crossholdings has been speculated about for some time. The companies called the move “an important milestone.” “The ambition is to strengthen the ties of the alliance and maximize value creation for all stakeholders,” said Nissan, based in the port city of Yokohama.