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Junkyard Gem: 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante VR-X

Mitsubishi has been selling cars and light trucks under its own name in the United States since the Starion, Tredia, Cordia and Mighty Max appeared here as 1983 models, but only one big luxury sedan has ever been in the Mitsubishi Motors USA lineup: the Diamante. For the last few years of the Diamante's availability here, a factory-hot-rod version of the Diamante known as the VR-X could be purchased. Here's one of those extraordinarily rare cars, now residing in a Denver-area self-service wrecking yard. The Diamante was the successor to the Mitsubishi Sigma, an upscale "pillared hardtop" version of the fifth-generation Galant. The Sigma sold poorly here, but Mitsubishi had hopes of stealing some American-market sales from the strong-selling Lexus ES and Acura Legend. Making a North American version of the swanky Mitsubishi Debonair didn't seem like a wise investment (though some Debonair DNA eventually showed up here, within the Hyundai XG), and so the brand-new Diamante made its North American debut as a 1992 model. The first-generation Diamante was available in both sedan and wagon form, with the wagon getting the axe here after 1995. The second-generation Diamante sedan appeared in American Mitsubishi showrooms as a 1997 model, with sales here continuing through 2004. There was a facelift for the 2002 model year, after several miserable sales years in the United States, and the sporty VR-X version was added to the lineup at that time. The VR-X got some cladding, white analog gauges, a louder audio system, some performance upgrades and a fast-and-furious optional spoiler. The MSRP for the '03 VR-X was $27,557, or about $46,362 in 2023 dollars. The VR-X's engine was a 3.5-liter 6G-series V6, rated at 210 horsepower. This was just five horses better than the regular Diamante's 3.5-liter. All 2003 Diamantes sold in the United States came with mandatory four-speed automatics.  This car, like the Diamante wagons of the middle 1990s, was built in Australia. The leather seats came with VR-X embossing. This is a good example of a rare special-edition car that's not worth much now. Perhaps some Front Range Mitsubishi enthusiast will buy the unique VR-X wheels and other bits before this car goes to the crusher. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 0% interest, zero down payment, zero payments until 2004 on all new Mitsubishis. This content is hosted by a third party.

Nissan ex-chief Carlos Ghosn cancels hastily arranged Tokyo press conference

TOKYO — Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Friday abruptly canceled plans for what would have been his first press conference since his arrest in November, after journalists had been notified about a briefing just two hours earlier. Ghosn's lawyers called to cancel the event that was to be held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ), but did not immediately give a reason for the abrupt change, an official at the FCCJ told Reuters.Automotive News cited a source as saying his family and media team staged a "last-minute intervention" to get him to call off plans to make his case at the press conference, fearing he would be faced with questions he couldn't answer without tipping his legal team's strategy, or that Japanese prosecutors would take a dim view of him publicly criticizing their actions and attempt to revoke his bail. A spokesman for the Ghosn family in Tokyo did not answer his mobile phone and did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. If the conference had not been canceled, Ghosn would have spoken as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosts national leaders at the G20 leaders gathering in Osaka, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who Ghosn's wife Carole have called on to raise the issue of her husband's treatment by Japan's courts. In May a Japanese court dismissed an appeal by Ghosn to ease a bail restriction that bans him from contacting his wife and rejected a subsequent request to allow him a one-off monitored meeting with Carole. His lawyers have argued that that condition violates Japan's constitution and international law on family separations. Ghosn's movements are also monitored and he is only allowed internet access from a computer at his lawyer's office that records the activity for the court. Once among the world's most feted auto executives, Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan over charges including enriching himself at a cost of $5 million to Nissan, in a scandal which has rocked the industry and exposed tensions in the automaking partnership between Nissan and Renault SA. Since his initial arrest in November last year, Ghosn has been charged four times for crimes which also include underreporting his Nissan salary and temporarily transferring personal financial losses to his employer's books during his time at the helm of Japan's No. 2 automaker.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV delayed until early 2016 in US

The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid has been a noteworthy success for the Japanese brand with over 33,000 sales sold worldwide as of the summer of 2014. Unfortunately, the electrified crossover has seen continual delays for its planned North American debut. The latest news about the model pushes back its launch even more. The Outlander PHEV now isn't slated to go on sale in the US until roughly April 2016, according to Mitsubishi North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen in Automotive News. Dealers are clamoring for the plug-in hybrid crossover, though. "That is going to be a vehicle that really sets us apart from the competition," said Ryan Gremore, 2015 chairman of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board, to AN. Multiple postponements have plagued the Outlander PHEV in arriving to the US. It was once rumored to launch here in the fall of 2014, but a battery shortage pushed the date to 2015. Subsequently, a California mandate to fit a sensor to monitor degradation of the lithium-ion batteries caused another delay until late 2015 or early 2016. In foreign markets, the Mitsubishi CUV plug-in offers a 12-kWh battery and electric driving range of about 30 miles. However once sales actually begin, the US version is supposed to be completely different with a retuned hybrid system, which could alter these figures. The styling and interior are also supposed to see a change, possibly like the attractively reskinned PHEV Concept-S from the 2014 Paris Motor Show.