2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Oz Rally 5 Spd. on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV faces longer delays, might not arrive until 2016

It seems every time the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV makes the news the information concerns a delay, and the reason always centers on its batteries. Four months ago the culprit was restricted battery supply from Lithium Energy Japan, pushing the arrival to 2015. This time it's no different, with Automotive News reporting that a battery-related request made by California state regulators will push the Outlander PHEV arrival back to "late 2015 or early 2016."
CA authorities want all plug-in hybrids to be fitted with a monitor for the lithium-ion batteries that will be on the lookout for degradation, the concern being that diminished batteries could change the vehicle's emissions. Getting the technology fitted and tested means something like a 16- to 22-month delay.
The extra time, however, should let Mitsubishi figure out what it's going to do about its battery supply since the current level of 4,000 per month isn't enough to support a US launch; the Automotive News article says Mitsubishi expects a volume of 63,000 plug-ins for 2016. The company hasn't said how it plans to make up the balance.

Mitsubishi denies plans for Toyota/Subaru rival sports coupe

Forgive us for being wistful, but there was a time when Mitsubishi coupes and sports cars were the downright awesome. The 1990s brought us the all-wheel drive, turbocharged Eclipse GSX and the twin-turbocharged 3000GT VR-4 (seen here). The times, they were good.
Fast-forward to today, and the Lancer Evolution exists as Mitsubishi's sole, true performance offering. Mitsubishi killed off the Eclipse last year, by which time it had lost much the luster of its predecessors. With an affordable Japanese sports car fomenting underway thanks to Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, one may think that it's an ideal time for a brand like Mitsubishi to jump back into the performance coupe game. A rear-drive Mitsubishi sports car to take on the Toyobaru twins could be just what the brand needs to gain some mindshare among consumers.
Not so, says Osamu Masuko. The president and executive director of Mitsubishi told reporters at the Sydney Motor Show, "Our engineers are very prominent to investigate new technologies, but to use that technology they are not that good to bring the revenue to make that money." Read: the engineers want to do it, but the company does not find it to be financially responsible.

2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport gets modest styling, powertrain enhancements

Mitsubishi sales continue to show progress in 2014. In fact, sales were up 54.17 percent in the US in May compared to last year. In hopes of keeping those numbers in the black, the Japanese automaker is introducing some mechanical upgrades to the Outlander Sport, its best-selling model, for the 2015 model year.
The biggest change for the 2015 Outlander Sport is its improved CVT that offers better fuel economy. Front-wheel-drive models with the upgraded CVT get an estimated improvement of 1 mile per gallon across the board to 25 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined; all-wheel drive models get an estimated 1 mpg better on the highway and in the combined rating, bringing the numbers up to 24/30/27 mpg. Mitsubishi claims the new transmission is the equivalent of fitting the Outlander Sport with a seven-speed automatic. The five-speed manual is still also available on the front-wheel drive ES trim, rated at 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. All models also get electric power steering, and the company reports that the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is enhanced as well, but still makes the same 148 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque from last year.
The 2015 Outlander Sport also sees some very minor aesthetic improvements. The audio panel inside now has piano black and silver trim, and the SE trim comes with LED running lights. Also, the interior gets thicker glass in the side windows and more noise insulation for a quieter ride.