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Look what West Coast Customs did to a 100-year-old Mitsubishi Model A

A hundred years ago, Mitsubishi made its first car, called the Model A. Back in April of this year, the automaker said it would update an example of that original model, electrifying it with the help of West Coast Customs. The result is the Mitsubishi Re-Model A, which combines old-school looks with the automaker's plug-in hybrid powertrain borrowed from the Outlander PHEV. To make room for the Outlander PHEV's chassis, West Coast Customs had to stretch the body of the Model A, while attempting to retain as much of its original form as possible. Once that was completed, they gave the car new door panels and modern steering wheel and parking brake. With two drive motors, the Re-Model A gets Mitsubishi's Super All-Wheel Control. The resulting car is a little funky looking. It's got wide, modern wheels and tires that look out of place. The front end takes on a new shape that looks odd from certain angles. On the plus side, it's probably faster and better to drive (depending on your perspective) than the original, which had a 2.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing 35 horsepower. We drove the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV that the Re-Model A gets its chassis from, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Still, watching the mechanics tear down a 100-year-old vehicle — which will never be the same again — makes us cringe. Mitsubishi has a microsite devoted to the Re-Model A if you'd like to learn more. Related Video:

Ghosn's legacy: one of the auto industry's most effective execs

"Bob Lutz ... estimated that carrying out the Nissan operation would be the equivalent, for Renault, of putting $5 billion in a container ship and sinking it in the middle of the ocean." So wrote Carlos Ghosn in "SHIFT: Inside Nissan's Historic Revival," which was published in the U.S. in late 2004. Two points about that observation: It is in keeping with Lutz's "Often wrong but never in doubt." It shows that Ghosn is a remarkable executive, given that he was able to take Nissan from the edge of financial oblivion to one of the foremost automotive companies (although with alliance partners Renault and, more recently, Mitsubishi). In 1999, Ghosn created what was named the "Nissan Revival Plan." It could have just as well been called the "Nissan Resuscitation Plan." Things were that bad. Now Ghosn is in the midst of legal trouble, accused of financial improprieties of some sort. There is no indication that this is at anything near the scale of what happened at Volkswagen Group. There's malfeasance. And then there's malfeasance. It is likely that this is going to be the end of Ghosn's career, but at age 64, and as a man who has spent nearly the past quarter-century essentially on airplanes, it is probably a good time to leave the stage. What his next act will be — to court or even prison — is an open question. But arguably, Ghosn's performance in the transformation of Nissan and Renault, which also needed some strong medicine to keep it from collapse in the early '00s (although one suspects that the French government would have done its damnedest to keep it propped up), makes him one of the all-time most-notable executives in the auto industry. Ghosn closed plants in both France and Japan and he worked to dismantle the Nissan keiretsu network of interlocked companies, things that were absolutely unthinkable. He established plans with stretch goals in their titles, like the "20 Billion Franc Cost-Reduction Plan," and worked with his people to achieve them, despite the pushback that seemed to come along with the announcement of the plan. As in, as he recalled in SHIFT, "Some people said, 'He's off the deep end. He's raving mad. Doesn't he know that at Renault you set the most conservative goals possible so you can be certain to reach them?' My answer to that sort of thinking was 'You're going to get what you ask for. If you set the bar too low, you'll be a low-level performance.

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport an even better value for 2021

Mitsubishi released pricing information for the 2021 Outlander Sport, its best-selling model in the United States. Redesigned for 2020, the crossover enters the new year with a cheaper base price thanks to a new trim. Pricing for the 2021 Outlander Sport starts at $22,090, including a mandatory $1,095 destination charge. For context, the 2020 model started at $23,690 once the same destination charge was added to the bottom line.  While the 2020 range started at the ES trim, the 2021 lineup begins with the S, which is only offered with front-wheel-drive. Every trim level gains an array of standard safety features for 2021, including forward collision mitigation, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams. Motorists who want rain-sensing wipers, LED fog lights, and automatic headlights will need to step up to the ES trim priced at $24,090 including destination. At the other end of the spectrum, the all-wheel-drive-only GT starts at $28,090. Mitsubishi gave buyers looking for something in between the bottom- and top-end trims an additional option by releasing a new trim called Limited Edition for 2021. Based on the ES trim, and priced at $25,090 when ordered with front-wheel-drive, it gains a black grille, black mirror caps, black 18-inch wheels, plus red accent stitching on the inside. It's limited in name only; don't expect to find a numbered plaque on the dashboard and a certificate of authenticity in the glovebox.  Power comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 148 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel-drive and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) come standard, and all-wheel-drive is available at an extra cost on most trim levels. Buyers who select the GT are rewarded with a 2.4-liter four rated at 168 horses and 167 pound-feet of twist. It's exclusively offered with all-wheel-drive, and it's also bolted to a CVT. According to the EPA, combined fuel economy checks in at 27 mpg for the 2.0, and 26 mpg for the 2.4. Mitsubishi stores across the nation will begin receiving the 2021 Outlander Sport in February. While it won't be joined by the i-MiEV, it's part of a broad model offensive that also includes the redesigned 2022 Eclipse Cross.