2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Renault, Nissan officially reboot their auto alliance for post-Ghosn era

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida looks on as Renault CEO Luca De Meo and Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato shake hands during a news conference to unveil new agreement between Nissan and Renault on Monday in London.   LONDON — Automakers Renault and Nissan on Monday formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky, culminating in the spectacular fall of top executive Carlos Ghosn, who had led successful turnarounds at both companies before his arrest and daring escape. The boards of both companies approved equalizing the stake each automaker holds in the other to 15%, bringing a better balance in the French-Japanese alliance, which also includes smaller Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. The uneven shareholdings had been viewed at times as a source of conflict. Until now, Renault Group of France owned 43.4% of Nissan Motor Co., while the Japanese automaker owned 15% of Renault. “We have been waiting a long time for this moment,” Renault board Chairman Jean Dominique Senard said at a news conference in London, calling it a “new era." Nissan intends to invest up to 15% in Ampere, RenaultÂ’s electric vehicle and software entity in Europe that Mitsubishi also will consider investing in. The automakers said they will collaborate in markets worldwide, including Latin America, Europe and India. The moves come at a time when the extremely competitive auto industry is undergoing a major shift toward electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly models. The long speculated changes to the carmaker alliance were announced a week ago. Shares equivalent to a 28.4% stake will be transferred to a French trust, according to the companies. Renault, whose top shareholder is the French government, and Nissan agreed on an orderly sale of that stake, although there will be no deadline. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida vowed to take the alliance to “the next level of transformation” to adapt to a new era. “This is not a choice but a need,” he said. In theory, partnerships are a good way for automakers to cut costs by sharing parts, production and technology, especially when the industry is going through such dramatic change with EVs. That also means that, once formed, ending an alliance can be difficult because the companiesÂ’ development, manufacturing and products get so closely tied together. Still, partnerships can stumble because of the different corporate cultures of the automakers, especially when it involves a meeting of the West and East.

Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

Mitsubishi reverses course on European exit with help from partner Renault

Mitsubishi will remain in some European markets after all, a surprise announcement from the company and its alliance partners Renault and Nissan confirmed early Wednesday. This is a reversal of what was expected after several rounds of restructuring were announced in 2020 as the company looked ahead to a $3.4 billion loss.  From the announcement, we can gather that Mitsubishi's survival on the continent comes care of its partners, who will supply vehicles that have already been approved for sale in Europe to be offered alongside the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross plug-in hybrid. The announcement refers to them as "sister models [...] with differentiations," which could mean anything from typical platform-sharing to some old-fashioned badge engineering. Given the company-wide cost-saving efforts, we're inclined to believe it's more along the lines of the latter.  "Mitsubishi Motors has decided to procure OEM-model vehicles from Renault, best-sellers on the European market which already meet regulatory requirements, for selected major markets in Europe," the announcement said. "Starting 2023, Mitsubishi Motors will thus sell two 'sister models' produced in Groupe Renault plants, which are based on the same platforms but with differentiations, reflecting the Mitsubishi brand’s DNA." The Alliance has also not yet confirmed which markets will remain open to Mitsubishi, however Automotive News has confirmed that the UK will not be one of them. Mitsubishi has already launched its updated Eclipse Cross lineup, but the forthcoming PHEV has yet to be fully detailed. The company said it has no plans to bring it to the United States, where the Outlander PHEV has moved in only limited volume.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander crossover SUV reveal