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Good news, everyone! Updated Mitsubishi Mirage coming in 2017

If you think you see a 2016 Mitsubishi Mirage, it's a mirage. That's because the dreadful subcompact is going away for the new model year. But don't worry, the Mirage will make a triumphant return with a few updates. According to Car and Driver, an updated Mirage will launch early in the 2017 model year with powertrain and chassis enhancements. That's a good thing, considering how poorly the current car has been received. Also coming for 2017 is the Mirage sedan, a car that's already sold in other markets. Mitsubishi already confirmed the sedan's arrival, and considering how popular the base Nissan Versa sedan is, this should only improve the Mirage's sales here in the US. Speaking of sales, the Mirage isn't doing too bad in our market. It's the second-best-selling Mitsubishi product currently, beating the Outlander and Lancer through July of this year. An updated version and a sedan model will help, too. And hey, maybe this refreshed one won't be so dreary.

Mitsubishi reveals Delica D:5 off-road van and 'concept' crossovers ahead of Tokyo Auto Salon

It's easy to forget Mitsubishi still makes some cool vehicles. If you look past the mirage however, you'll find vehicles like the Delica D:5 van. Mitsubishi is on its way to the Tokyo Auto Salon with a concept version of this Delica, alongside an Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross, with both SUVs claiming the name "Street Sport." We're all weird, so it stands to reason that the off-road-looking Delica D:5 excites us the most. While the normal Delica D:5 is now more of a van with SUV ride height, this one comes with a full suite of plastic body cladding for protection around the front and rear of the van. A heavy-duty roof rack and row of LED lights up top give it the roof of a true overlander. Some bars on the sides and bright red mud flaps hint even further that this should be taken off the pavement. What Mitsu doesn't talk about is an upgraded suspension. Granted, the Delica D:5 already looks lifted and ready for some moderate trail work, but a full-on rock crawler van would have been epic. The standard all-wheel drive system with four-wheel drive lock will have to do for now. For cars sold in the states, Mitsubishi brought some tarted-up versions of the Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross. Both SUVs feature similar design language, as they try to look sportier than their powertrains give away. Yellow accents along with blacked-out everything and some stickers are really the selling points here. Meaning, there isn't much, if anything, to get excited about with these "concepts." They're more sticker packages than anything, and don't give us much hope for anything fun coming stateside. For now, all we have are the individual pictures of each car. More will come once they officially break cover at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. Related video:

Japan sends official to Lebanon over fugitive Carlos Ghosn

BEIRUT — Japan's deputy justice minister met top officials in Lebanon on Monday over the case of NissanÂ’s fugitive ex-boss, Carlos Ghosn, who fled to his home country late last year while on bail in Japan and awaiting trial. Ghosn was arrested in late 2018 and is facing charges of under-reporting income and breach of trust. He says he is innocent. He led Nissan for nearly 20 years. State Minister of Justice Hiroyuki Yoshiie (pictured above with Lebanese Justice Minister Marie Claude Najm) met President Michel Aoun as well as the Lebanese minister of foreign affairs. Yoshiie did not speak to reporters after the meetings and is scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day. Aoun's office said in a tweet after the meeting that they discussed mutual relations and ways of developing them "in addition to matters that are of interest for both countries." The tweet did not mention Ghosn, who made his first public appearance in Lebanon in early January saying he fled a “nightmare” that would not end and vowed to defend his name wherever he can get a fair trial. On Friday, Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori said she was dispatching the official to Beirut to explain the Japanese justice system and improve cooperation. She said Japan hoped Lebanon would gain “a proper understanding of the Japanese criminal justice system.” Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty, and it's unlikely Lebanon would agree to send Ghosn, considered a Lebanese national hero, back to Japan to face trial. Mori acknowledged that there were “various environments” and laws that underpin each country's stance. Nissan, maker of the Leaf electric car and Z sports car, said in a statement regarding the justice officialÂ’s trip that it hoped Ghosn would return to Japan to stand trial, “so that all the facts can be properly established under JapanÂ’s judicial system.” Having spent months in detention and struggling to gain his release on bail under stringent conditions, Ghosn said he fled in the belief he could not get a fair trial in Japan. Japan has requested GhosnÂ’s return through Interpol and issued an arrest warrant after his escape. Lebanese prosecutors issued a travel ban for Ghosn in January and asked him to hand in his French passport following the Interpol-issued notice against him. NissanÂ’s sales have plunged recently, and it sank into losses for the last fiscal quarter. The brand is widely considered to have been tarnished by the controversy around Ghosn.