2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Mr Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Ever wonder how to really pronounce Japanese automaker names?

People tend to get very set in their ways when it comes to the pronunciation of words. Just look at the endless debates over whether or not to say the final 'e' in Porsche (which you should in terms of correct German enunciation). Or the argument about whether to follow the British convention and give the 'u' in Jaguar a special delivery or to say the 'ua' diphthong as more of a 'w' sound, as usually happens in the US.
This short video doesn't answer either of those automotive questions, but it does allow a native Japanese speaker to demonstrate the accepted pronunciations for several, major automakers from the country. One benefit is that it clears up the occasional debate over whether Nissan should be said with a long or short 'i' sound. Also, listen closely to how the female host says Mazda as Matsuda, the way it's actually said in the language. Even if this doesn't change the way you enunciate these brands, at least now you know the accurate way in Japanese.

Nissan slashes profit forecast as Ghosn arrest hurts brand appeal

TOKYO — Nissan cut its profit forecast for the fiscal year through March on Wednesday to reflect slowing sales, higher costs and the fallout from a criminal investigation of its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan Motor Co. expects to post a 319 billion yen ($2.9 billion) profit for the fiscal year, marking a 22% drop from its earlier 410 billion yen ($3.7 billion) forecast. Nissan said the downgrade reflects higher costs in the U.S. from a warranty extension campaign for some vehicles and falling sales due to "corporate issues," alluding to the Ghosn scandal. Ghosn was arrested in November and is facing charges of underreporting his income and breach of trust. He says he is innocent. He was released on bail in March and is awaiting another court decision on bail after his re-arrest on April 4. Nissan, which is allied with Renault SA of France, has seen sales lag in France and Japan, where Ghosn is widely known. In the U.S. and China, buyers aren't as affected by the scandal, but the markets there overall have slowed. Other factors contributed to the revision, such as production not keeping up with demand for the Note, an extremely popular model in Japan. But the high-profile scandal has weakened the brand appeal of the maker of the Leaf electric car, Infiniti luxury model and X-trail sports utility vehicle. Nissan said it expects to sell 5.5 million vehicles in this fiscal year. Earlier it predicted it would sell 5.6 million. The company sold nearly 5.8 million vehicles in the fiscal year that ended in March 2018. The automaker reduced its sales outlook by 0.2% for the fiscal year through March 2019 to 11.5 trillion yen ($103 billion), compared to its previous forecast. It was Nissan's second downgrade for its outlook following one in February that cited faltering sales in China and the U.S. At that time, Nissan also logged costs about 9.2 billion yen ($83 million) related to the alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation. Nissan has promised to strengthen its corporate governance to prevent a recurrence of what it says is serious wrongdoing by Ghosn. Ghosn was sent by Nissan's French alliance partner, Renault SA, to help turn the Japanese automaker around when it was near bankruptcy 20 years ago. The future of the alliance is one of many questions clouding Nissan's future following Ghosn's ouster since he was the main liaison for the alliance, which includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors.

Mitsubishi rolls out new Pajero Sport in Thailand

Mitsubishi is launching the new Pajero Sport you see here, based on the latest Triton/L200 pickup introduced late last year. The new Pajero Sport (known as the Challenger in certain markets) replaces a model that's been on the market for seven years now. The midsize sport-utility vehicle is being introduced first in Thailand, but will be sold in about 90 countries around the world. Those will include Australia, Russia, and markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia – regions in which Mitsubishi has sold some 400,000 units of the previous Pajero Sport. Behind the imposing new Dynamic Shield front end sits a 2.4-liter turbo diesel driving all four wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination is said to be a good 17 percent more economical than the previous model's. Full specs have yet to be revealed, but it's expected to produce around 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The new Pajero Sport also packs all the latest safety technologies, including automatic braking, blind spot monitor, and ultrasonic misacceleration systems. Rock-crawlers will also appreciate the off-road mode, hill descent control, and increased wading depth, all of which add up to make the Pajero Sport a very different kind of high-riding Mitsubishi than the new Outlander recently introduced on our side of the Pacific. Here in North America, truck-based SUVs are steadily losing ground to car-based crossovers. But overseas – particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and Australia – they're not only surviving, but thriving. In addition to this Pajero Sport, Ford recently introduced its new Ranger-based Everest, and Toyota the new Fortuner based on the HiLux. World Debut of the All-new Pajero Sport Mid-size SUV in Thailand Popular SUV's first full redesign in seven years to reach some 90 countries Tokyo, August 1, 2015 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announces the world premiere of first full-redesign of the Pajero Sport mid-size SUV in seven years in Thailand, where it is produced at Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co. Ltd.'s*1 Laem Chabang Plant. Sales start in Thailand from this fall, and MMC plans to introduce the all-new Pajero Sport sequentially in Australia, the ASEAN nations, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Russia and, as with its predecessor, to sell the new model in some 90 countries.