2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Gts Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV van variant coming to Europe

Mitsubishi's Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV will be hitting our shores this fall. Across the Pond, however, it's heading into more no-nonsense territory. That's because the Japanese automaker is making a commercial van variant of the plug-in hybrid for the UK. Mitsubishi will start selling a model called the Outlander PHEV GX3h 4Work in the UK, Motoring Research says. Like the SUV, the model will pair a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor and will have an all-electric range of 32 miles. The difference is that the back seats will be taken out and the glass will be blacked out. Hardcore, we say. The model will be priced at 36,905 British pounds (about $61,000), though buyers are eligible for a government grant worth 7,381 pounds ($12,200). Mitsubishi plans to start selling the Outlander PHEV stateside in Fall 2015. The company said earlier this summer that the US version will be substantially different from the current version, with updates for everything from exterior and interior styling to powertrain efficiency improvements. The model had some battery-melting issues last year in Japan, though Mitsubishi ramped up its production once those problems were solved. Mitsubishi representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the commercial-van variant from AutoblogGreen, but we expect to be hearing more about it soon.

Junkyard Gem: 1983 Mitsubishi Starion

Americans had been buying Mitsubishis with Dodge or Plymouth badging for more than a decade when the first Mitsubishi-badged cars began showing up on these shores. For the 1983 model year, Mitsubishi USA offered the Cordia, the Tredia, the Mighty Max, and the Starion; the latter was a futuristic-looking rear-wheel-drive sports car that took direct aim at potential buyers of the Supra, the 280ZX, the RX-7, and even the Camaro. Here's a rare first-year "narrow-body" Starion in a Denver self-service wrecking yard. Even though every Starion sported a turbocharged engine, the word TURBO was considered so magical during this era that no self-respecting car company in 1983 would have refrained from adding at least a couple of TURBO badges. Later Starions (and Conquests) even had TURBO badging sewn into the seat belts. In 1983, the Starion's 2.6-liter Astron packed 145 horsepower, which compared favorably to the optional 175-horse engine in the much heavier 1983 Camaro Z28 (the base Z28 engine made 150hp). The 280ZX cost more and offered 145 horsepower; the 280ZX Turbo cost lots more but had 180 horses. This car looks tired but not rusty. The pins stuck into fuel-injection electrical connectors tell a sad story of its final days on the road; a frustrated owner tried to use a multimeter to figure out hard-to-diagnose electrical woes. Auto-reverse was a high-end audio-system feature in 1983 cars. Mitsubishi made (and still makes) plenty of good consumer electronics, so the sound systems in these cars were considered high-quality stuff for their time. I shot this car with a circa-1983 cereal-box-prize film camera, because it seemed like a good idea. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. With music by Osamu Kitajima and artwork by Shuse Nagaoka (whose work you may know from all those 1970s ELO and Earth, Wind & Fire album covers), the Japanese-market ad for this car reveals its SUPER POTENTIAL.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV gets major powertrain updates, Geneva reveal

Mitsubishi will put seven of its wares on display during press days at the Geneva Motor Show, the headliner being an updated 2019 Outlander PHEV. Engineers have upgraded the entire hybrid powertrain, starting with the switch from a 2.0-liter Otto cycle gas engine to a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle gas engine. Mitsubishi hasn't revealed output numbers, but the carmaker promises "higher torque, smoother operation, and overall higher efficiency." Generator output, rear motor output, and lithium-ion drive battery output all go up by 10 percent, and battery capacity gets a 15 percent boost. Going off the specs on the Mitsubishi Cars site, that would take the rear motor up to 66 kWh and the battery capacity from 12 kWh to 13.8 kWh. Along with the extra battery output, the 2019 Outlander PHEV should be expected to switch into EV mode more often, and stay there longer. Two drive modes join the current programming, Sport and Snow sidling up with Normal and 4WD Lock. One must look closely to note the exterior revisions, almost all of which are up front: a new graphic on the front grille, new LED headlights, rectangular foglight bezels, and a more prominent front skid plate. A "more elaborate" two-tone, 18-inch wheel shakes things up along the flanks, a larger rear spoiler holds things down out back. We probably won't get a look at the interior until Geneva, but "new quilted fine leather upholstery, all-new hip-hugging front seats, revised switchgear, a new instrument panel, new trimming, rear A/C outlets, and more" await us. The new Outlander PHEV gets to Europe in late 2018, likely greeted with the same fever that's seen the SUV move 100,000 units there in three years. Related Video: