1991 Mitsubishi, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi expects to sell only 4,000 Outlander PHEVs in first year in US

First, it was late 2013 or early 2014. Then it was the fall of 2014. And then it was "roughly" April 2016. Now we can strike "roughly" from the record: the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid will finally arrive in the US in April 2016. Alex Fedorak, public relations manager, Mitsubishi Motors North America, told AutoblogGreen that the company is now "confident in that date." The various delays that held up the SUV this far – including battery shortages, deciding to make the PHEV in the US the refreshed version and better-than-expected sales in Europe and Japan – have worked their way through the system, he said. "The issue was battery capacity, and the vehicle sold far better in Europe than anyone anticipated. It just takes time to build the battery. You got to buy raw materials and rethink the whole process. We're confident that it's going to be next spring." As for where the Outlander will go on sale in the US Fedorak said he did not know the initial markets for, but said it was likely the plug-in SUV would mimic the roll-out of the i-MiEV, which is now available in most states. Even with the Outlander PHEV's success overseas, the company does not expect it to be a big seller here. "It's not going to be big percentage of Outlander sales [in the US]," Fedorak said. "Our expectations are in the single-digit percentage of the total Outlander sales. It's just going to be a technology showcase for us, and we'll see what happens. If it takes off for us like it did in Europe, it'll be good news for the brand." Last year, Mistubishi sold 31,054 Outlander Sports and 13,068 Outlanders in the US. That means Mitsubishi expects to sell a maximum of 3,970 Outlander PHEVs (nine percent of 44,122 total Outlander sales) in the plug-in's first year on sale in the US. Fedorak said he doesn't think there are any specific regulatory issues that need to be solved to bring the Outlander PHEV here. Things like EPA certification and crash testing still need to be done, he said, but that's just part of the normal process now. Fedorak said he thinks there is no difference in the plug-in powertrain from the current version sold in Europe and Japan and the version that will come to the US. But the rest of the 2016 Outlander will be "much more than a facelift," he said (something we've heard before). "It's a total rethink of the chassis and the tuning of the vehicle. The NVH of the vehicle, too."Related Video:

$99/month EV lease deals still out there, in some places

Has the electric-vehicle market really gotten to the point where folks can take out a lease for less than C-note per month? Yes, if you're interested in a Mitsubishi i of Smart ForTwo EV, Plug In Cars has found. As Mitsubishi prepares to bring in the 2015 model-year version of the i, it's unloading some of the 2013s for as little as $69 a month in some areas, bringing in a bit of deja vu for those who remember the $69 monthly lease rate some Mitsubishi dealers were asking for early last year. Meanwhile, a Smart EV can be had for $99 (discounted from $139 a month), with a $900 down payment, at at least one Connecticut dealership. Moving up to $139 a month could get you into a new Nissan Leaf, albeit with a honking' down payment of about $6,600. Chevrolet Spark EVs can be found in California and Oregon for as little as $199 a month. And both the Fiat 500e and Honda Fit EV can be found at some dealerships with lease rates in the mid-two-hundreds per month. The upper end of the plug-in scale - a Tesla Model S - still runs north of $1,000 a month (before you apply Tesla's various calculations to get to their "effective monthly cost"). But when you can afford to drive a Tesla, who's really counting? Featured Gallery 2012 Mitsubishi i: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: Plug In CarsImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Mitsubishi smart Electric ev sales lease i-miev i mitsubishi i smart fortwo ed

Lawyer for Ghosn slams bail condition as human rights violation

TOKYO (AP) — The lawyer for Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Saturday criticized a bail condition that prevents his client from seeing his wife, as Ghosn awaits trial on financial misconduct charges. A judge has forbidden Ghosn from seeing his wife, Carole, including in the presence of lawyers, or talking to her on the phone. Prosecutors say the restriction is needed to prevent evidence tampering. "This is unfair," Takashi Takano, the lawyer, said in a phone interview, calling it a human rights violation. "It's cruel and unusual." His earlier appeal of the ban, rejected by district and appeals courts, went to the Supreme Court, which turned it down last month. The Supreme Court decision cannot be appealed, but Takano vowed to keep filing new petitions, stressing that the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality or the human rights aspects. The next one will be filed within two or three weeks, he said. Ghosn's lawyers recently filed a second petition with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, arguing that the restrictions on seeing his wife amount to a deprivation of fundamental human rights. Takano acknowledged that the situation looks dismal, as Japan's Supreme Court is not easily influenced by other governments' views or by public opinion. "Even the strongest man in the world can be stressed, psychologically damaged. That's very natural as a human being," said Takano, noting that Ghosn was holding up well compared to other clients he has had. Ghosn has been aggressively taking part in meetings with his defense team, according to Takano. The case has entered the stage known as "pre-trial sessions," during which both sides hand in evidence. A trial date has not been set. In Japan, preparations for trials routinely take months. Ghosn, who led Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, was arrested in November and charged with falsifying financial documents in reporting retirement compensation, and with breach of trust in diverting Nissan money toward personal investment losses and a company effectively run by him. Ghosn, 65, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, has repeatedly said he is innocent, accusing some at Nissan of plotting against him and opposing a plan to merge Nissan with French alliance partner Renault. Renault is set to vote Tuesday on a possible merger with Fiat Chrysler.