2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Phev Se S-awc on 2040-cars

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Trump declaration they're a security threat stuns Japanese automakers

TOKYO — Japan's automakers' lobby said on Tuesday it was dismayed by President Donald Trump's declaration that some imported vehicles and parts posed a threat to U.S. national security, as the industry braces for a possible rise in U.S. tariffs. Trump made the unprecedented designation of foreign vehicles on Friday but delayed for up to six months a decision on whether to impose tariffs to allow for more time for trade talks with Japan and the European Union. "We are dismayed to hear a message suggesting that our long-time contributions of investment and employment in the United States are not welcomed," said Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. "As chairman, I am deeply saddened by this decision," Toyoda, president of Toyota, said in a statement. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars made by foreign automakers, a move which automakers have argued would ramp up car prices, curb the global competitiveness of U.S.-made vehicles and limit investment in the country, the world's No. 2 auto market. The United States is a vital market for Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese car makers. Autos and components are among the Asian country's biggest export products. Most of Japan's major automakers operate plants in the United States. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association notes that its automakers build about 4 million vehicles a year in North America, or 75 percent of what it sells here. Many are built for export, helping lessen the U.S. trade deficit Trump is concerned about. Major automakers have announced a slew of investments in the United States since Trump took office in January 2017 and put pressure on the industry to create more U.S. jobs. For its part, Toyota has pledged to invest almost $13 billion in the United States between 2017 and 2021 to boost manufacturing capacity and jobs. This includes $1.6 billion for a vehicle assembly plant in Alabama jointly run with Mazda. Government/Legal Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Trump

Mitsubishi looks to crossovers and EVs for US success

Say what you will about Mitsubishi, but the Japanese automaker is slowly seeing a resurgence here in the United States. December 2015 marked the company's twenty-second consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases, and looking at last year as a whole, Mitsubishi's sales were up 23 percent over 2014. Ken Konieczka, Mitsubishi's vice president of sales operations, says that in order to stay successful, the company will bet big on crossovers and electric vehicles in the coming years. And that means a relatively aggressive product plan here in the US. First up, a brand-new CUV will launch in early 2018, previewed by the eX Concept that debuted at last year's Tokyo Motor Show (pictured). Konieczka says Mitsubishi is making room for this new crossover in its lineup – the Outlander will slowly get bigger, and the Outlander Sport will get smaller. The production version of the eX will slot between those two. Speaking of the Outlander siblings, both will be replaced in the next five years. A new, larger Outlander will arrive in 2019, and the smaller Outlander Sport will arrive in 2020. To fulfill the electric side of the business, Konieczka confirms the next Outlander Sport will sprout an EV variant, and the Outlander plug-in hybrid will launch in the United States later in 2016, as a 2017 model. As for the rest of the company's portfolio, Mitsubishi will offer the updated Mirage hatchback and new G4 sedan later this year. The future for the Lancer, however, looks grim. Konieczka says Mitsubishi still can't find an OEM partner to help create and produce a new Lancer, and our gut says the compact sedan will be phased out in the very near future. "We made a lot of mistakes," Konieczka admits, saying Mitsubishi was "spread too thin [and] had too many models" in the past. This new, more focused approach on EVs and crossovers certainly sounds promising, and will hopefully help Mitsubishi continue its slow growth here in the US market. Still, we won't know for sure until the new products actually reach showrooms. But for now, at least, things are steadily on the rise.

Next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander spied for the first time

Having been around relatively unchanged since the 2014 model year, it's about time that we're finally seeing a new generation of Mitsubishi Outlander crossover. This is the first prototype we've seen, and it's rather thinly disguised. From what we can tell, it will draw heavily from the Engelberg Tourer concept that was shown at this year's Geneva Motor Show (we still find that name strange, by the way). The next-generation Outlander's grille seems to have the now-trademark broad, metallic grille shared with the Eclipse Cross and recently refreshed Outlander Sport. It also has lights that spear off the top corners of the grille. In this application, they appear to simply be daytime running lights. The main illumination probably comes from the large rounded lamps below them. The grille and the shapes of the lights match the Engelberg concept, too. Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept View 12 Photos Also matching the Engelberg Tourer is the side profile. We can see that the roof panel is separated from the rest of the body, making it perfect for contrasting colors like those on the concept. The glass area kicks up at the rear just before the vertical edge at the rear. This creates a thick, upright D-pillar, just like the concept. The back of the Outlander is pretty clean and simple, and the taillights are thin and wide. The taillights extend forward into sharp points. All of these features are similar to the concept. With so much of the exterior mirroring Mitsubishi's earlier concept, we're expecting the Outlander to use a similar, if not identical powertrain. The concept featured a plug-in hybrid powertrain very much like the current Outlander PHEV, but with a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine rather than a 2.0-liter unit. Electric range was an estimated 43 miles, which also improves on the existing Outlander PHEV's 22 miles. This all seems very plausible for the new production Outlander PHEV. The powertrain for non-hybrid Outlanders is more of a mystery. Base models may get the Eclipse Cross's turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4. We'll have to wait to see if the V6 option sticks around. This prototype looks pretty far along in development, so we expect to see the production model shown within a year.