2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited Edition on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1983 Mitsubishi 4WD SPX Truck

Mitsubishi began building the Forte small pickup in 1978, and Chrysler quickly started selling the Forte in North America with Dodge D-50/Dodge Ram 50/Plymouth Arrow Truck badging. Mitsubishi-badged vehicles first showed up on our shores as 1983 models, with four models available: the Cordia liftback coupe, the Tredia sedan, the Starion sports car and the Truck. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of the very first of those Mitsubishis to be sold in the United States, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard recently. This series is all about gems of automotive history, and we've got a really rare bit of Mitsubishi Motors history here with this August 1982 build date. I've documented six discarded (Mitsubishi-badged) Mitsubishis from the 1983 model year prior to now, and none had build dates earlier than January of 1983. This pickup may have been on the first shipload of new Mitsubishis to arrive at San Pedro (while the town's most legendary band was just becoming known outside of Southern California). Even my discovery of one of the very first Camrys sold in North America (in the same junkyard a few years back) isn't as cool as this. The commonly used name for all of the first-generation (1983-1986) Mitsubishi pickups is "Mighty Max," but a look through contemporary price guides (of which I have an extensive library) and Mitsubishi Motors USA's own marketing materials shows that the official name for this truck was "Truck," available in Mighty Max, Turbo Diesel and SPX sub-designations. Other Japanese manufacturers also sold vehicles named Trucks and Vans here, with the Toyota Truck (aka Hilux everywhere else in the world) being the best-known. Later on, Mitsubishi fully embraced the Mighty Max trim level as the model name for all the Forte/Triton-based pickups it sold here. For the 1983 model, the Mighty Max was the cheapest Mitsubishi Truck, sold only with 2.0-liter engine, rear-wheel-drive and four-on-the-floor manual transmission. This is a 4WD SPX with automatic transmission, the most expensive Mitsubishi Truck available in 1983. It has the 2.6-liter Astron SOHC four-cylinder engine, rated at 108 horsepower and 142 pound-feet. The Astron went into a wide variety of U.S.-market vehicles over the years, including Chrysler K-Cars and Dodge Challengers. Such luxury! The Dodge-badged version of this truck, the Ram 50, remained available all the way through the second generation of Forte and the 1994 model year.

Mitsubishi teases new compact crossover that could be called Eclipse

Does the world need another compact crossover? No, not really. But Mitsubishi could certainly use another vehicle in the hottest segment in America. And the Japanese automaker is about to show off a brand-new model at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show that will slot between the Outlander Sport and the larger Outlander. Rumors suggest that this new compact crossover might revive a well-known name from the past: Eclipse. While that's undeniably better than a random series of numbers or letters, or another riff on the Outlander moniker, Mitsubishi would surely alienate some of its hardcore fans by christening a CUV with the name of an old sport coupe. Here's hoping those rumors stay exactly that. Moving past the potentially controversial name, what we're looking at is a pretty conventional coupe-like two-box shape. The sloping roofline looks current, and the steeply raked rear glass adds a sporty flare. We've got a little over a month before we see the new 'ute in all its glory, and probably about a year before it's in US showrooms. In the meantime, check out the dark teaser above or click to enlarge it down below. Related Video:

Mitsubishi readies trio of hybrid utility concepts for Tokyo

Mitsubishi has announced a trio of concept cars it will bring to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, set to kick off later this month. The three concepts all sport new, edgy styling that is quite a departure from the Mitsus we see here in the states.
First up, we have the Concept GC-PHEV, which we're guessing is the middle vehicle in the photograph up top, as it's supposed to be a larger SUV - think Outlander for this one. From a powertrain standpoint, it sounds quite impressive. A 3.0-liter, supercharged, MIVEC V6 syncs up with an electric motor and a plug-in battery pack, while an an eight-speed automatic transmission dispatches power to all four wheels.
Next, we have the Concept XR-PHEV. We're taking a step down from the GC here, as the XR is meant to compete in the compact-crossover market, which means this could pre-sage the next Outlander Sport. Like the GC, though, it takes advantage of a hybrid powertrain, with a turbocharged, 1.1-liter direct-injection engine providing the grunt. The front-driver also sports a lightweight motor and battery, although specific details about both are scarce. We're thinking the XR-PHEV is the smaller, red vehicle on the right of the image up top.