1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gst Custom Project Car on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Europe boss says two new PHEV crossovers due next year

In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi's European CEO Bernard Loire told the publication, "In the second half of next year we will have a replacement of the current Outlander. It will be on an alliance platform. There also will be another smaller SUV coming at the same time." The statements came in response to a question about expanding the automaker's plug-in hybrid lineup, leading readers to expect that by this time next year, Mitsubishi will have two crossover PHEVs on the market. The current Outlander has been on the market since late 2012, the plug-in hybrid showing for the 2014 model year. We've already seen fairly polished versions of fourth-generation Outlander prototypes out testing, sporting looks inspired by the Engelberg Tourer concept revealed at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Some suspect the 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the current PHEV powertrain will make way for a 2.4-liter mill as in the Engelberg, paired with high-efficiency motors on both axles. The show car also touted features like all-wheel drive improved with active yaw control and enhanced anti-lock braking software. Figure on an EV range that improves the current Outlander PHEV's 22 miles, going perhaps as far as the Engelberg's 43 miles. Loire didn't give away anything about the second model, but an Autocar report from earlier this year quoted "a senior source" as saying "We will not have a unique nameplate" for the second battery-electric vehicle. The magazine said the Eclipse Cross and Outlander Sport are in line for series hybrid powertrains, without indicating which might come first. Loire told AN the brand's doing fine with respect to Europe's coming CO2 legislation, so it doesn't need to make rash moves. With the Eclipse Cross forming 20% of sales on the Continent, the middle crossover would be a rational choice for the next plug-in hybrid, especially since it's retiring the 2.2-liter diesel option around the end of 2020. On the other hand, the Outlander Sport will be 10 years old next year, a replacement can't be far away. The new plug-ins come with the realignment of Mitsubishi's crossover range. The Outlander, sitting on a new architecture shared among the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, will grow into a proper mid-size choice; the prototype spotted in Michigan is clearly larger than the current vehicle.

Junkyard Gem: 1994 Mitsubishi Diamante ES Sedan

Once the decade of the 1990s got rolling, the Lexus LS400, Toyota Cressida, Infiniti Q45, Acura Legend and Mazda 929 had proven that big Japanese-made luxury sedans could rack up respectable sales in the United States. Mitsubishi dove into that competition starting with the 1992 model year, when the Diamante arrived on our shores. Here's one of those early Diamantes, found in an Oklahoma City car graveyard recently. Mitsubishi had been selling big, swanky Debonairs at home since the middle 1960s, but that car was never sold new in North America (though a Debonair-related Hyundai, the XG300/XG350, did show up here). The Diamante was based on an enlarged Galant/Sigma platform and was available here as a pillared hardtop four-door sedan (in which there is a narrow B pillar but the door windows are frameless) and as a station wagon. The US-market sedan was built in Japan, while the wagon came from Australia. The Diamante's price tag made it tempting for American buyers considering Japanese luxury sedans. The base ES sedan listed for $25,525 in 1994, which comes to about $53,097 in 2023 dollars. Meanwhile, the Mazda 929 started at $30,500 ($63,446 now), the Acura Legend sedan cost $33,800 ($70,311 now), the Infiniti Q45 listed at $49,450 ($102,866 now) and the Lexus LS400 was $51,200 ($106,507 now). The higher-zoot Diamante LS (which cost $32,500 in 1994) got a twin-cam 6G72 V6 driving the front wheels with 202 horsepower, but today's Junkyard Gem is a base ES and it has the SOHC 6G72 with just 175 horses. Mitsubishi built Diamantes with manual transmissions, but we didn't get those cars on our side of the Pacific. A four-speed automatic transmission was mandatory equipment in North American Diamantes. This car didn't quite make it to 140,000 miles during its career. It appears that this car passed through the hands of both Fred Jones and a lesser-known outfit called Amigoland Motors during its life. This generation of Diamante remained on sale in the United States through the 1996 model year, but sales never measured up to Mitsubishi's hopes. The wagon got the axe after 1995, at which time the ES sedan became a fleet-sales-only machine. For 1996, all Diamantes sold here were fleet cars. For 1997, a new generation of Diamante showed up; sales continued through 2004. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. For Mitsubishi's diamond anniversary, the precious Diamante (with cheap lease terms).

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.