1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Hatchback 2-door 1.8l, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1992 Plymouth Laser

Chrysler began selling rebadged Japan-built Mitsubishis beginning with the Dodge Colt in 1971, with plenty of Arrows, Champs, Challengers, Ram 50s, Conquests, Raiders, Stealths and Sapporos following those cars across the Pacific. Starting with the 1983 model year, Mitsubishi Motors began selling vehicles with its own badging in the United States, and that caused Chrysler and Mitsubishi to crash into the voluntary import quota that Japanese carmakers imposed on themselves in 1981 as a means of avoiding tougher restrictions threatened by the Reagan Administration. To get around the quota, the two partners created Diamond-Star Motors in Illinois, where Rivians are now built. The very first product to be assembled by DSM was a liftback sports coupe that debuted as a 1990 model under three different names: the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, found in a Denver car graveyard recently. The Laser name had been used on Chrysler-badged Dodge Daytonas for the 1984 through 1986 model years, and the name seemed futuristic enough to revive on a Plymouth. The cheapest of those three DSM siblings in 1992 was the Eclipse, which started with a list price of $10,859 ($24,120 in 2024 dollars). The cheapest Laser had an MSRP of $11,206 ($24,891 after inflation), while the most affordable Talon cost $13,631 ($30,277 in today's money). The reason the Eclipse and Laser were so much cheaper than the Talon was that the base Talon came with the 2.0-liter Mitsubishi 4G63 engine and its 135 horsepower, while the entry-level Eclipse and Laser were equipped with the 1.8-liter 4G37 and its 92 horses. This Laser is a base model with few frills, so it has the 1.8 engine. It also has the five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic was available, for $701 extra ($1,557 now).  Like the Talon and Eclipse, the Laser was available with turbocharging and all-wheel-drive. Those cars were genuinely quick by the standards of the time. This one probably was purchased as a fun-enough-to-drive commuter that was easy on the gasoline budget, and it put in just over 150,000 miles during its life. In 1992, federal law required that news cars be equipped with either driver's-side airbags or the universally loathed automatic shoulder belts. This car has the latter. Someone installed aftermarket multi-bolt-pattern wheels on this car, probably during the early phase of the Fast and Furious Era.

Mitsubishi ready to expand PHEV lineup with ASX, Pajero

Mitsubishi likes what it's seen from plug-in hybrid sales of its Outlander SUV in Europe. Now, it looks like the Japanese automaker will go back to that proverbial well within the next few years. And, once again, SUVs will be the medium. Mitsubishi will start selling plug-in hybrid versions of its ASX compact crossover, the company's best-selling model in Europe, in 2017, Automotive News Europe says, citing comments from Osamu Masuko. A year after that, the company will debut the Pajero plug-in hybrid SUV. No details were disclosed about exactly what kind of PHEV powertains will be used in the vehicles, which will be part of the next-generation incarnations of both models. The ASX appears to be a good trial vehicle, given that more than 22,000 of them were sold in Europe through August, Automotive News reports, citing JATO Dynamics. Mitsubishi representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen. The company appears to be looking to build on the success of the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid. Mitsubishi sold almost 9,000 Outlander PHEVs in Europe during the first six months of the year. That model pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor and has an all-electric range of about 32 miles.

Mitsubishi says it will make money from EVs

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the lowest-cost plug-in vehicle available in the US. The spartan EV's small price tag shouldn't lead you to believe the company doesn't see dollar signs where there's a plug. Mitsubishi says that electric vehicles are one of the three profitable segments that have helped the company get back into the black. The other two are light trucks and crossovers. We suspect that the resounding success of the Outlander PHEV played a bigger role in this than the i-MiEV, but you never know. Mitsubishi Motors Corp president Tetsuro Aikawa told Automotive News that the company will keeps its focus on those three segments and ease back on sedans and performance cars. To that end, the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid will come to the US next April, many years after it went on sale in Japan and Europe. The vehicle will fit well with Mitsubishi's plans to shift its strategy to SUVs and CUVs here. Related Video: