2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 2.0l T on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Mirage configurator is alive

Well, here's the butter knife Mitsubishi is bringing to the subcompact gun fight. It's called the Mirage, and its configurator has just gone live on Mitsubishi's consumer page, allowing those that absolutely must have a brand-new car for not a lot of money (and have never heard of the Nissan Versa, Mazda2, Chevrolet Spark or Ford Fiesta) to build their perfect example.
Prices start at $12,995 for a base DE model with a five-speed manual transmission and $14,195 for the up-market ES with the same transmission. A 74-horsepower, 1.2-liter engine is the sole powerplant. Both trims feature a continuously variable transmission for an extra $1,000 and a range of eight exterior colors, while black is the sole interior color.
Fully loaded with all the assorted packages - there are 10 on the ES model, adding things like navigation, a backup camera and LED ambient lights - the Mirage checks out at $19,540. Feel free to have a go at the configurator yourself.

Mitsubishi teases next-generation Triton small pickup truck

Though Mitsubishi stopped selling pickup trucks in the U.S. in the '90s, the company never stopped selling them overseas. The Triton, or L200 as it's sometimes called, is in its fifth generation, which was introduced in 2014. Now it seems a sixth generation is on the way, as the company released a low-resolution teaser image of the latest pickup. It features many styling cues from recent Mitsubishi production and concept vehicles. It also probably isn't coming to America, but the odds of a U.S.-spec may actually be better than you might think. The teaser gives us a pretty good look at the new truck, despite the image quality and lighting. It has the "Dynamic Shield" front end, which is pulled straight from current models such as the Eclipse Cross and Outlander. The aggressive shape looks good on this larger body, as it's a little better proportioned when spread across the greater surface area. It looks like the whole body is sharp and angular to match it. But it's still definitely a conventional-looking pickup truck. Since this will be sold in many overseas markets where traditional trucks with traditional off-road capability is necessary, this will undoubtedly be a body-on-frame pickup with part-time selectable four-wheel drive. This is how the current model is constructed. And like the current model, there will likely be a turbocharged diesel four-cylinder available in many parts of the world. There's not much of a chance the new Triton will come to the U.S., but it's also not a 0-percent chance. The small truck market is strong right now, with the Toyota Tacoma and the combined Colorado/Canyon twins selling in six-figure numbers each year. It's strong enough that Ford has seen fit to finally bring the Ranger back to America, and for rumors to run rampant that FCA might reenter the fray with a Ram-badged truck under the fullsize 1500. Mitsubishi's U.S. dealers have also said they really want a pickup truck to sell. Granted, there are still the issues of passing emissions and safety regulations, and finding a way to deal with the Chicken Tax. So there's certainly opportunity here for Mitsubishi, but not without some difficulty. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage Sedan

In the early 1970s, Chrysler (lacking funds to develop a brand-new subcompact for the American market) began importing Mitsubishi Colt Galants and putting Dodge Colt badges on them. Chrysler's relationship with Mitsubishi deepened over subsequent decades, with numerous Mitsubishis sold here with Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, and Eagle badging. That didn't stop Mitsubishi Motors from selling some of the very same vehicles, though, once sales of Mitsubishi-badged cars and trucks began here in the 1983 model year. Starting in 1979, Colt badges moved over to the front-wheel-drive Mirage, with the Mirage itself appearing here for the 1985 model year. Here's one of those cars, a rare 1990 sedan in a Denver self-service yard. In 1990, Americans could choose between four near-identical versions of this car sold by different marques: the Mitsubishi Mirage, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, and Eagle Summit. The MSRP on the '90 Mirage sedan was $8,559 (about $15,015 in 2022 dollars) and the prices of the other three were so close as to make no real difference; customers could just shop for the best rebates and financing. Americans couldn't get this generation of the Dodge/Plymouth Colt as a sedan, though Canadians could. Most of the Mirages and Summits sold here were hatchbacks, but Mitsubishi and Eagle dealers probably wanted something to compete with the Civic and Corolla sedans of the era. Mitsubishi certainly got its money's worth out of the 4G aka Orion engine family! This is a 1.5-liter SOHC 4G15, rated at 81 horsepower. The early Hyundai Excel (and its Mitsubishi-badged twin, the Precis) got a version of this engine. If you bought the Mirage Turbo, you got a DOHC version displacing 1.6 liters and blasting out 135 horses (but it was only available here until 1989 and just as a hatchback). That 81 horsepower was even less fun than it sounds, in this case, because the original buyer of this Mirage skipped the standard-equipment five-speed manual and paid extra for the three-speed automatic. It has air conditioning, with the "Econo" mode that was so popular among 1980s Japanese cars. Not quite 100,000 miles passed beneath its wheels during 32 years of service. At some point, a set of Mercury Tracer hubcaps was slapped on the unsightly steel wheels. The lug holes don't line up, but who's going to notice? Sold out of the now-defunct Ehrlich dealership in Greeley, Colorado, back when you could buy an Isuzu or a Nissan on the same lot.