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Japan could consolidate to three automakers by 2020

Sergio Marchionne might see his dream of big mergers in the auto industry become a reality, and an analyst thinks Japan is a likely place for consolidation to happen. Takaki Nakanishi from Jefferies Group LLC tells Bloomberg the country's car market could combine to just three or fewer major players by 2020, from seven today. "To have one or two carmakers in a country is not only natural, but also helpful to their competitiveness," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "Japan has just too many and the resources have been too spread out. It's a natural trend to consolidate and reduce some of the wasted resources." Nakanishi's argument echoes Marchionne's reasons to push for a merger between FCA and General Motors. Automakers spend billions on research and development, but their competitors also invest money to create the same solutions. Consolidating could conceivably put that R&D money into new avenues. "In today's global marketplace, it is increasingly difficult for automakers to compete in lower volume segments like sports cars, hydrogen fuel cells, or electrified vehicles on their own," Ed Kim, vice president of Industry Analysis at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Even without mergers, these are the areas where Japanese automakers already have partners for development. Kim cited examples like Toyota and Subaru's work on the BRZ and FR-S and its collaboration with BMW on a forthcoming sports car. Honda and GM have also reportedly deepened their cooperation on green car tech. After Toyota's recent buyout of previous partner Daihatsu, Nakanishi agrees with rumors that the automotive giant could next pursue Suzuki. He sees them like a courting couple. "For Suzuki, it's like they're just starting to exchange diaries and have yet to hold hands. When Toyota's starts to hold 5 percent of Suzuki's shares, this will be like finally touching fingertips," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "I absolutely do believe that we are not finished seeing consolidation in Japan," Kim told Autoblog. Rising development costs to meet tougher emissions regulations make it hard for minor players in the market to remain competitive. "The smaller automakers like Suzuki, Mazda, and Mitsubishi are challenged to make it on their own in the global marketplace. Consolidation for them may be inevitable." Related Video:

Mitsubishi could use Lancer Sportback name on its version of the Nissan Leaf

Various reports might help with filling in some of the blanks in Mitsubishi's Momentum 2030 plan. That's the automaker's new initiative we heard about last month that Mitsubishi North America President and CEO Mark Chaffin said is "setting the stage for new powertrains and vehicles being introduced, new dealerships being opened, and new technologies being developed to make the shopping and ownership experience faster, easier and more enjoyable." The first hints of new product suggested a rugged plug-in hybrid van, something else in the Subaru Outback segment, and perhaps an electric pickup. And after Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance partner Nissan introduces a new-generation Leaf EV for the 2026 model year, Mitsubishi's supposed to get the Leaf for its own use. Based on a recent trademark renewal, Australian outlet Which Car? via Car and Driver suspects this EV (highlighted in the image above) could be called Lancer Sportback.  Car and Driver caught the fact that Mitsubishi renewed a trademark application for the name Lancer Sportback at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 12 of this year. And speaking of Lancers, the Japanese automaker applied to trademark Lancer Evolution on August 8 last year. The USPTO refused the registration, Mitsubishi filed an appeal that's still under consideration.    Which Car? doesn't say why it believes Mitsu might apply the Lancer (requested in 2020) or Lancer Sportback name to its little EV, but notes that the automaker's been reusing names around the world of late, such as Airtrek, Colt, Eclipse, and Eclipse Cross. There's more where that came from for us, C/D also tabbing Mitsubishi's trademark application for the name Montero, submitted last August and approved in February. That 4x4 launched as the Pajero in 1981 and sold in the U.S. as the Montero (and the Dodge Raider). The carmaker hasn't sold a Montero here since 2006, and ended Pajero production in 2021. A new model called the Pajero Sport filled the gap in the lineup, but that SUV is based on Mitsubishi's Triton pickup sold in overseas markets.  We've got a while to wait to figure out what's up. The new Leaf is expected to be a mini Nissan Ariya based on Nissan's Chill-Out concept from last year's Tokyo Mobility Show. The image above is from the Momentum 2030 announcement, the little crossover we've highlighted has a DRL signature that fits the form factor.

Junkyard Gem: 2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart

We began getting Mitsubishi Galants here way back in the 1971 model year, when the Colt Galant showed up bearing Dodge Colt badges. Mitsubishi didn't start selling cars with its own badging in North America until the 1983 model year, and the first Mitsubishi-badged Galants showed up on our shores as 1985 models. When the ninth and final generation of Galant appeared for 2004, it was a generic-looking Camry rival, enlarged and priced attractively but otherwise not very interesting. Then, for 2007, a sporty Ralliart version showed up. Here's one of those rare cars, found in a snowy Colorado self-service yard recently. Ralliart is the racing and performance division of Mitsubishi Motors, and I've managed to find a few Lancer Ralliarts during my junkyard travels. I'd forgotten the existence of the Galant Ralliart, I must admit, so at first glance I took this car to be an ordinary Galant with Lancer Ralliart badges pasted on. Unlike the Suzuki Works Techno badges found on Aerios and Renos of the era, these Ralliart emblems really did indicate a quicker-than-the-base-model car. The '07 Galant Ralliart got a 258-horsepower V6 and a stiffer suspension, plus a few styling touches. It certainly would have been more fun than a new Camry, though the Mazdaspeed6 was quicker. Even the soporific Camry could still be bought with a manual transmission in 2007, but not the Galant. All the US-market 2004-2012 Galants (which were built in Illinois) came with automatic transmissions. The Galant managed to hang on until 2012, by which time it had been largely forgotten by American car shoppers. That's too bad, because the gadget-packed Galant Sigma four-door hardtops of the late 1980s and screaming Galant VR-4s of a bit later were interesting machines. I still haven't found a junked VR-4, though I have spotted a discarded Galant GS-X. This one lived fast and died young-ish. Perhaps someone will grab that 6G75 engine to swap into a Chrysler K-Car. We can hope. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Hop in. It's go time! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Taiwanese car shoppers could buy this car as the Grunder. The real gone cats preferred the Grunder Police Interceptor, of course.