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Mitsubishi Mirage hatch and sedan refresh teased

Almost every Mitsubishi model sold in the U.S. wears the automaker's "Dynamic Shield" design. The corporate face combines a two-piece grille emphasizing the horizontal with slim, angled headlights supported by a thick, C-shaped trim piece that defines the fog lights and lower intakes. The only holdouts are the Mirage hatchback and Mirage G4 sedan, but that will soon change. Mitsubishi teased a dim image of two Mirages that had earned their Dynamic Shields, and promised a debut on November 18 in Thailand. The reveal location gives a shout-out to the Laem Chabang plant that, along with another facility in the Philippines, builds the siblings. It's easy to forget about Mitsu's tiny twosome, but it's hard to deny they've served the company well as global offerings. In the U.S., the duo has increased its annual sales every year since the car's introduction in 2013. Around the world in fiscal 2018 the Japanese automaker sold 140,000 units, and sales through the end of October in the U.S. show the Mirage nearly 10 percent ahead of last year's sales at the same period. Assuming the cheap-as-chips price equation doesn't get a heavy refresh, there's every reason to think the facelift will aid sales. The hatch and sedan wear two different faces at the moment, both graduates of the most mediocre school of ambiguous econoboxes. The teased image puts a personality on economy, with large, single lenses peeking out from a narrow eyeline above the Dynamic Shield's sculpted features. It appears designers have done a touch of reshaping in back as well, and there's a wee spoiler hanging off the back of the decklid. No word on what might be in store for the two three-cylinder engines sold in international markets, a 1.0-liter that makes 70 horsepower and 65 pound-feet of torque, and the 1.2-liter that's our only choice here, making 78 hp and 74 lb-ft. The fuel filler cap has moved from the driver's side to the passenger's side, though, so there could be action under the skin, and we'd expect a few interior upgrades, too.

Renault-Nissan reportedly partnering with Waymo on self-driving cars

The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance will tie up with Alphabet Inc's Waymo to develop autonomous taxis and other services using self-driving vehicles, the Nikkei reported on Tuesday. Google's self-driving car company Waymo will work with the carmakers and announce a plan for the arrangement as early as this spring, the business daily reported. The partners are considering the joint development of unmanned taxis using Nissan vehicles and a system that handles reservation and payments, Nikkei said. A spokesman at the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, Nick Twork, said, "This (Nikkei) story is based on rumors and speculation. We have nothing to announce." Waymo did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Last month, Nissan Motor Corp said its board remained committed to the carmaker's alliance with Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp, after directors met to discuss the ongoing investigation into former chairman Carlos Ghosn and ways to bolster governance. Among the companies developing autonomous driving technology, Waymo is considered to be far in the lead in terms of test-fleet miles driven. It operates hundreds of vehicles in 25 U.S. locations, and is already operating a taxi service with paying customers in Chandler, Ariz. Related Video:

2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross gets standard all-wheel drive

Following a significant refresh for the 2022 model year, the 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross subcompact crossover is mostly the same. Except now it's only available with all-wheel drive. All of the front-drive variants have been dropped. A side effect of this decision is that the Eclipse Cross now has a significantly higher base price. Last year's ES with front-drive started at $25,180 including destination. The new all-wheel-drive ES starts at $27,235. But compared with the old all-wheel-drive ES, the new one is just $455 more. Pricing for the whole lineup is below. ES: $27,235 LE: $28,685 SE: $29,685 SEL: $30,935 For that extra $455, the ES now includes LED headlights and fog lights. The LE trims and above also get new available 18-inch alloy wheel designs. The SE gets a silver front bumper trim piece, and the SEL's lower side trim is body color. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.