1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gst Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Toyota, Mazda drop Takata as Mitsubishi, Subaru weigh options

It's not a very good time to be Takata right now. Fresh on the heels of longtime partner Honda ditching them, Toyota and Mazda have both come out and said they will not use the company's airbag inflators if they continue to rely on ammonium nitrate. Bloomberg reports that Subaru and Mitsubishi are also contemplating a divorce. "The inflator using ammonium nitrate produced by Takata will not be adopted by Toyota," President Akio Toyoda said during a briefing today. "What's most important above anything else is the safety and peace of mind of customers." Mazda echoed that position, simply saying it "will not use Takata airbag inflators which contain ammonium nitrate in our new cars." When you lose three huge OEM accounts in as many days, it's certainly going to have a deleterious effect on your fortunes. In Takata's case, that's meant a staggering 39-percent drop in their share price over the last three days. Yesterday alone, the company saw a 6.2-percent fall, Bloomberg reports. As the business publication reports, though, Takata isn't going down without a fight. The company is "considering some plans to survive," including a fundraising plan that will see it potentially offer up additional shares for sale. Still, at least one analyst doesn't see whatever company survives staying involved in the airbag inflator business. "I really don't see how they're going to be able to survive as an inflator manufacturer," Valient Market Research founder Scott Upham told Bloomberg. "When your major clients publicly come out and say that they're not going to use your products anymore, it makes this very difficult to sustain your business." News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Carlos Osorio / AP Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Toyota Safety supplier

Junkyard Gem: 1992 Plymouth Laser

Chrysler began selling rebadged Japan-built Mitsubishis beginning with the Dodge Colt in 1971, with plenty of Arrows, Champs, Challengers, Ram 50s, Conquests, Raiders, Stealths and Sapporos following those cars across the Pacific. Starting with the 1983 model year, Mitsubishi Motors began selling vehicles with its own badging in the United States, and that caused Chrysler and Mitsubishi to crash into the voluntary import quota that Japanese carmakers imposed on themselves in 1981 as a means of avoiding tougher restrictions threatened by the Reagan Administration. To get around the quota, the two partners created Diamond-Star Motors in Illinois, where Rivians are now built. The very first product to be assembled by DSM was a liftback sports coupe that debuted as a 1990 model under three different names: the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, found in a Denver car graveyard recently. The Laser name had been used on Chrysler-badged Dodge Daytonas for the 1984 through 1986 model years, and the name seemed futuristic enough to revive on a Plymouth. The cheapest of those three DSM siblings in 1992 was the Eclipse, which started with a list price of $10,859 ($24,120 in 2024 dollars). The cheapest Laser had an MSRP of $11,206 ($24,891 after inflation), while the most affordable Talon cost $13,631 ($30,277 in today's money). The reason the Eclipse and Laser were so much cheaper than the Talon was that the base Talon came with the 2.0-liter Mitsubishi 4G63 engine and its 135 horsepower, while the entry-level Eclipse and Laser were equipped with the 1.8-liter 4G37 and its 92 horses. This Laser is a base model with few frills, so it has the 1.8 engine. It also has the five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic was available, for $701 extra ($1,557 now).  Like the Talon and Eclipse, the Laser was available with turbocharging and all-wheel-drive. Those cars were genuinely quick by the standards of the time. This one probably was purchased as a fun-enough-to-drive commuter that was easy on the gasoline budget, and it put in just over 150,000 miles during its life. In 1992, federal law required that news cars be equipped with either driver's-side airbags or the universally loathed automatic shoulder belts. This car has the latter. Someone installed aftermarket multi-bolt-pattern wheels on this car, probably during the early phase of the Fast and Furious Era.

The Civic goes hybrid, driving the Nissan Z Nismo and more | Autoblog Podcast #833

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They discuss the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic and its new hybrid powertrain, a possible Ford Maverick sport truck, rumblings of a new Mitsubishi Delica, the continued growth of hybrid sales, the UAW's loss in Mercedes' Alabama plant, the VW ID.7 being delayed, Tesla Semi news and the BYD Shark headed to Mexico. They chat about Formula 1 for a moment before hopping into the reviews section. Zac's been driving the new 2024 Nissan Z Nismo, and Greg's been spending a bunch of time in the long-term 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #833 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid refresh Maverick sport truck on the way? Is Mitsubishi bringing a new Delica to North America? Hybrid sales are booming The UAW loses in Mercedes vote Volkswagen ID.7 delayed in North America Tesla Semi picks up more steam BYD Shark is headed to Mexico as a mid-size pickup Formula 1 catch-up Cars we're driving: 2024 Nissan Z Nismo 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Long-Termer Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Government/Legal Green Motorsports Podcasts Ford Honda Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Volkswagen Truck Crossover Hatchback SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Sedan Podcasts