2010 Mitsubishi Galant Se Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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'Nothing is blocking' Nissan alliance talks, says Renault chairman

TOKYO — Nothing is blocking discussions between Nissan and Renault over the future of their alliance and the two companies will have "important talks" on Tuesday and Wednesday, the French automaker's chairman said in Tokyo. Speaking at an event on Tuesday, Renault SA chairman Jean-Dominique Senard touted the Franco-Japanese alliance, which has been discussing ways to revamp the relationship. The companies had initially set Tuesday as a deadline to hammer out a deal. However, the discussions have taken longer than originally expected due to Nissan's concerns about how its intellectual property rights can be protected as Renault forges new ties with China's Geely, sources have told Reuters. Renault last week unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its businesses, saying it would set up a joint venture with Geely for gasoline engines and hybrid technology and spin off its electric vehicles unit next year. It wants Nissan to invest in the new electric unit. The companies are also renegotiating their equity ties, which currently see Renault owning a controlling 43% of Nissan and the Japanese company holding only a 15% non-voting stake in Renault. "Nothing is blocking" the discussions, he told reporters after the event, declining to say when the alliance members would reach a deal and adding "you will be informed on time." "As the chairman of this alliance, I've never lived such a warm atmosphere within the alliance and this bodes well for the future."   Green Mitsubishi Nissan Renault

Mitsubishi Geoseek Concepts sport new paint, not much else

While the company may be on life support here in the United States, Mitsubishi still sells cars in a great many markets across the globe. That includes Europe, which is probably why Mitsubishi trotted out a pair of concepts at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. But as you'll see, calling them concepts is generous. Both vehicles are based on actual production models, the L200 pickup and the ASX (Europe's version of the Outlander Sport), and wear the Geoseek name. Both Geoseek cars are production models that have just been fitted with "tough-look added accessories geared toward outdoor enthusiasts." We can't exactly spot what accessories Mitsu is talking about, though. The most obvious changes are to the grilles, which are mesh. Both the L200 and ASX also get a new underbody skid plate in front. Cosmetic changes include the Pearl Gray paint and orange accents. There's also orange trim in the cabin, although Mitsubishi acknowledges that the interior is mostly black. The L200 does get a rather nifty looking roof rack with integrated lights and handles, while the ASX gets LED fog lights. So yeah, these might be called concepts, but there's really not a lot going on besides the paint and the roof rack on the L200. Still, you can check out both cars at the top of the page. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mitsubishi ASX Geoseek Concept: Geneva 2016 View 10 Photos Related Gallery Mitsubishi L200 Geoseek Concept: Geneva 2016 View 9 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Geneva Motor Show Mitsubishi Truck Crossover Economy Cars 2016 geneva motor show mitsubishi asx mitsubishi l200

Mitsubishi, Nissan will build mini EV together

That minicar project that erstwhile competitors Nissan and Mitsubishi launched about four years ago is about to go a little more maxi. NMKV Co., the joint venture established in June 2011 by the two Japanese automakers to make minicars, is going to get more resources specifically to ease a move into the electric-vehicle sector. Specifically, Nissan, which makes the all-electric Leaf, is going to have a bigger role in the testing, design, and development of the partnership's mini EVs. A memorandum of understand between Nissan and Mitsubishi, maker of the i-MiEV, is in the works. So far, the joint-venture has sold about 500,000 gas-powered three-cylinder compact vehicles under the two automotive brands, so it must be doing something right. The first Nissan Dayz and the Mitsubishi eK Wagon models started production in 2013. Sales of the Nissan Dayz Roox and Mitsubishi eK Space, which went the higher-roof route, began early last year. Nissan and Mitsubishi started making noise about this last summer, when word came out that the little EV may be priced at less than $15,000 in Japan, quite a bit cheaper than either the Leaf or the i-MiEV over there. As with the current models, the future minicar variants will be produced at Mitsubishi's Mizushima factory in Japan. So far, the partnership would only say that details about NMKV's next-generation mini EV will be released "at a later time," so specifics like range and other performance measures will have to wait. Until then, you can take a look at NMKV's press release below. Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and NMKV reach agreement on planning and development of next-generation minicars Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, and their joint venture NMKV Co., Ltd. today reached an agreement to continue their joint project regarding development of the next generation of current minicar models. The three companies will soon sign a memorandum of understanding. The companies aim to develop more competitive products by optimizing resource allocation and their respective roles and responsibilities. Nissan will be more deeply involved in development operations, such as design development and testing. In addition to its product planning and project development roles, NMKV will strengthen its management capabilities by adding a new department to enhance collaboration with engineering and manufacturing functions. Vehicle production is planned to continue at Mitsubishi's Mizushima Plant.