2004 Mitsubishi Galant Es/ls Medium Mivec 2.4 L Automatic on 2040-cars

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Refreshed Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross spied, loses Aztek-style rear hatch

Despite being the brand's freshest model, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is already getting a styling update. The subcompact crossover prototype shown above has a mildly updated nose, and a significantly revised rear hatchback to give it a more conventional look. The rear of the car is the biggest change, so we'll start from there. The current Eclipse Cross has a controversial hatch with slanted main window and a smaller upright window lower down. Detractors liken it to the Pontiac Aztek. This updated model removes it altogether, in favor of one large slanted window. This also helps the back of the Eclipse Cross look a little less tall and blunt. The taillights are redesigned, too, to accommodate the new hatch. They don't span the full width of the hatch, and they might not extend up the rear pillars anymore either.. At the front, changes are more subtle. The headlights that extend off the grille look thinner, and may now simply be running lights, while the larger lights underneath may be the main headlights. The grille also looks more squared off in the lower section, similar to the grilles on the new L200 pickup and Mi-Tech concept. This prototype looks close to production-ready, and since it's just a mid-cycle refresh, we're expecting it to be revealed for the 2021 model year. It will likely continue to come with a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine, a CVT and either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Related Video:    

Mitsubishi teases 2016 Outlander ahead of New York debut

Mitsubishi really disappointed lots of people at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show when it initially teased "The Return of a Legend." That over-hyped unveiling was really just the North American debut of the GC-PHEV, first shown at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The Japanese automaker is getting a second chance to impress with its hook to "Come See the New Face of Mitsubishi Motors" at the New York Auto Show on April 2. Maybe the company can do a little bit better this time, even if the surprise is already spoiled. Mitsubishi announced that it would unveil the refreshed 2016 Outlander in the Big Apple a month ago in Chicago. It's almost certainly the vehicle on display on the brand's invitation, above. While the single shot shows off a design very reminiscent of the current model, earlier spy shots indicate changes are in store for both the front fascia and much of the rear end. A look in the vein of the Outlander PHEV Concept-S from the 2014 Paris Motor Show seems likely. The restyling is also rumored to be timed with the plug-in hybrid version's US debut. However, after that vehicle's multiple delays, it might be best to wait and see.

Mitsubishi wants a compact pickup for the U.S. market, but won't rush it

A Mitsubishi dealer told Wards Auto last year that "the most requested model at the brand's U.S. dealer meetings is 'a pickup truck, a pickup truck, a pickup truck.'" This month, Mitsubishi North America's COO told Wards that the carmaker has its eye on getting back to the compact pickup segment in the U.S., but that it will take time. "[We'd] have to have one that's the right fit for Mitsubishi," he said, "for our demographic, and something that's really competitive in the market." That wasn't the case with the last compact pickup the brand sold here, the Raider. A product of the Daimler-Chrysler alliance with Mitsubishi at the time, the Raider was a rebadged Dodge Dakota. The pickup sputtered through four years of meager sales, being pulled from the market in 2009. As part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, Mitsubishi's been put in charge of the group's next midsize body-on-frame platform, Automotive News reports. The chassis will underpin the next-gen Mitsubishi Triton (2019 model pictured), Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan, and if Daimler continues the tie-up with Renault, the next Mercedes X-Class. It sounds like Mitsubishi has already made room for electrification, the COO telling Wards, "you start mixing in some of that electrification technology and these hybrid drivetrains, the aspect of performance is really going to change in the future." The carmaker does very well with its compact Triton pickup, sold in 150 overseas markets under that name as well as L200 and Strada. Wards says LMC Automotive predicts a Triton will come to the U.S. as a 2025 model, but we can't know how similar our model would be to the international model. Our Nissan Frontier, for instance, is not the same as the Frontier sold overseas, the global truck also known as the Navara and NP300. The five-year wait shows Mitsubishi won't be reckless with any new launch now that it has a vision and momentum to protect. The Japanese carmaker has posted sales gains in the U.S. for six straight years. The last two years surpassed 100,000 units, 2018 delivering a 14 percent jump over 2017 in spite of Mitsubishi having just four models on sale here.