2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gs Convertible 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi's nip-and-tucked Eclipse Cross shows its face for the first time

Mitsubishi's long-promised new models are right around the corner. It released a dark image to preview the 2022 Eclipse Cross, which will boast comprehensive visual updates when it arrives in the first quarter of 2021. Although the photo keeps the full design under wraps, we can tell the Eclipse Cross falls in line with the rest of the Mitsubishi range by adopting new-look headlights with swept-back LED accents and thick pieces of C-shaped trim. Few would qualify these changes as revolutionary, but bigger modifications are found out back. The preview image suggests — and earlier spy shots confirm — that stylists have smoothed out the crossover's rear end, which some have likened to the unfortunate Pontiac Aztek. The end result is a sleeker, less hunchback-like design. Mitsubishi claims the nip-and-tuck makes the Eclipse Cross look more upscale and energetic. We'll wait until it shines more light on its entry-level crossover to decide if it has achieved its goal. Our hopes are high, because the Eclipse Cross will usher in the design language that will permeate all of the brand's new models in the 2020s. "The Eclipse Cross is the first step toward the next generation of Mitsubishi Design, and there is so much more to come," said Seiji Watanabe, the general manager of the company's design department, in a statement. Mitsubishi focused on exterior design, but we're assuming the 2022 update will also bring a new-look interior. We don't know if the firm will make mechanical changes. As of writing, the Eclipse Cross is only offered with a turbocharged, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 152 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It spins the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT), though all-wheel drive is offered at an extra cost. Additional details about the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will emerge in the coming months. When it arrives, it will join the updated Outlander PHEV (which will receive an improved hybrid powertrain) and the redesigned Mirage in showrooms. Finally, the next-generation Outlander is due out in the second quarter of 2021. Mitsubishi Crossover

Mitsubishi Ground Tourer Concept will show next-gen PHEV ideas in Paris

Mitsubishi still hasn't released the Outlander PHEV here in the US, but we're already going to get a potential preview of the company's next large plug-in hybrid at the Paris Motor Show this fall. Mitsubishi has released a side-profile teaser image of the Ground Tourer Concept, which the company says "further expresses" Mitsubishi's flagship PHEV technology. It's got a floating red roof with sharp angles on the back and a cool silver body. It's certainly early for a Paris tease, but we'll take what we can get when it comes to more large plug-in vehicles. Related Video: Mitsubishi Ground Tourer Concept To Be Unveiled At Paris Motor Show / June 27, 2016 — CYPRESS, CALIF. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announced the debut of the all-new "Ground Tourer Concept" at the 2016 Paris Motor Show this fall. An up-market SUV, the Ground Tourer Concept is aimed to be the latest expression of Mitsubishi Motors' design ambitions, expressed through four powerful elements: Augmented Possibilities, Functional Beauty, Solid Thrust and Japanese Craftsmanship. The newest concept further expresses Mitsubishi Motors' plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) flagship technology. The combination of advanced driving technologies packaged using the latest Japanese design trends and quality will propel the Ground Tourer Concept for effortless cruising in all driving conditions on and off road; all while accommodating passengers in a quiet, comfortable and luxuriously crafted interior. The Ground Tourer concept is a continuance of MMC's design philosophy and showcases the commitment to its role in the SUV/CUV segment. About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all research & development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and financial services for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells sedans and crossovers/SUVs through a network of approximately 380 dealers. MMNA is a leading the way in development of highly-efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

Turns out Mitsubishi's history is far more interesting than we thought

Former Autoblog editor-in-chief Mike Austin was kind enough to drop this little nugget onto Twitter yesterday: the history of Mitsubishi timeline on the company's press website. Basically, it's a virtual museum, spanning from the 1917 Mitsubishi Model A to the 2008 Galant Fortis Sportback. Frankly, it's not that surprising that they didn't go much further beyond that, but still, the timeline provides both a fun trip down memory lane and an introduction to fun and/or wacky JDM models we never got.  Besides showing photos, there's actually a sizable amount of info for each, which has quite clearly and often delightfully been translated from Japanese. Take the New Minica Toppo that "adopted a 1:2 door configuration with a single door on the driver's side and two doors on the passenger side (think a Hyundai Veloster), as well as a 'Super High Roof' that added 70 mm to the height of the standard roof ... Addressing the desire to drive something a little different, the lineup was soon joined by a number of variants with personalities designed to bring more fun to the class and including the recreation specification Carabosse, the young mother and baby-oriented Marble, and the Town Bee with its round frog-eye headlamps projecting just forward of the leading edge of the engine hood." Also, check out those diagonal door handles. There are more than just JDM kei car oddities, however. There's the Mitsubishi FTO, which you may remember from Gran Turismo and other racing video games from back in the day. It was "a car that delivered fun-to-drive qualities in abundance (and) was selected 1994-1995 Japan Car of the Year." If you didn't know, it was called the FTO because it slotted below the Mitsubishi GTO, the car you know as the 3000GT. I didn't know that before. Thanks, timeline! There's also the off-roady JDM Delica vans that are now all over the Pacific Northwest having surpassed the 25-year import embargo. The 1994 Delica Space Gear (above left) was notable in that it moved the engine under the hood rather than beneath the front seats where it was previously (above right with the Delica Star Wagon), but according to the timeline "The Gear variant name was added in the belief that customers would become attached to it as a familiar 'piece of gear' for leisure and everyday purposes." Judging by the ones I see around here in Portland, mission accomplished. "Suspension was by double wishbone at the front and a 5-link with coil spring arrangement at the rear.