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Mitsubishi boss confirms new Mirage for US; i EV enduring dismal sales

By March, Mitsubishi expects to have sold just 55,000 cars in the US this fiscal year. That's a tiny sum - by comparison, Honda has sold over 276,000 Civic models thus far this year - and that's just one vehicle, not an entire brand. Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko recognizes this is not a tenable position, and he's hoping the company will shift 80,000 units next fiscal year. Warding off speculation, Masuko has repeatedly stated that his company will not retreat from the US market like competitor Suzuki.
We reported on one part of Masuko's plan, the updated Outlander, and now he has confirmed that the small Mirage will be sold in the US beginning next September. The cut-price hatchback is selling well enough that Mitsu's Thailand plant is at its full capacity of 150,000 cars. "And even at that level it's not keeping up with orders," Masuko tells Automotive News. Masuko went on to say the plant would be expanded next year to handle an extra 50,000 units. We can also expect the Outlander plug-in early 2014.

Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart Concept revealed at Tokyo Auto Salon

Mitsubishi has arrived at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon with a bevy of vehicles, but none more interesting than the Vision Ralliart Concept. We have fond memories of the Ralliart name on Mitsubishi models sold years ago, which gives us a glimmer of hope that a return to the sub brand could once again give us a Mitsubishi to get excited about as enthusiasts. That initial Ralliart return is in concept form and in the shape of the new Outlander. Mitsubishi is using the Outlander PHEV as the basis of this concept, but it appears as though nothing has been done to the powertrain to make it any more potent than the standard car. However, Mitsu has attended to it elsewhere. The Ralliart Concept gets large brake rotors and six-piston brake calipers to increase stopping power. It also features suspension changes. Mitsubishi doesn’t say exactly what itÂ’s changed beyond specifying that the comfortable ride “is further refined,” though. Lastly, Mitsubishi fitted 22-inch wheels with bigger tires to enhance cornering. Appearance-wise, the Vision Ralliart Concept gets unique front and rear bumpers, wider fenders in front and rear, a new front grille and big rear diffuser. Mitsubishi says that this car “embodies Mitsubishi Motors' vision for the new Ralliart and brings together the company's engineering and passion for Monozukuri challenges (craftsmanship).” How all of the above may translate into a production Outlander Ralliart model is still to be determined, and itÂ’s not yet clear if weÂ’ll ever see such a thing in the U.S. Beyond that concept, we also get a look at an Outlander Ralliart Style and an Eclipse Cross Ralliart Style. Both of these cars are full of red, white and black stickers/accents to give them the Ralliart look weÂ’d expect. However, the packages are limited to appearance changes only. Again, Mitsubishi gives no indication as to what its end game might be with these vehicles. On the off-road side of things, there's the Outlander Wild Adventure Style based on the PHEV. This model adopts a bunch of Mitsubishi accessories that make it a better vehicle for heading into the wilderness. It has items like all-terrain tires, bumper protectors, mud guards, a roof carrier, trailer hitch and additional garnishes all around to give it a sportier/outdoorsy look. If kei cars are more your style, Mitsubishi has also revealed the K-EV Concept X Style in Tokyo. ItÂ’s meant to preview a new generation of electric kei cars in Japan.

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Dodge Ram 50 with V8 swap

Chrysler did very well selling Mitsubishi Forte pickups with Plymouth and Dodge badging in the United States, even after Mitsubishi began moving the same trucks out of their own American dealerships in 1982. The 1987 Ram 50 2WD short bed weighed in at just over 2,500 pounds, so it was reasonably perky with its 2.0-liter G63B four-banger making 90 horsepower… but there's no replacement for displacement! At some point along the line, a Chrysler small-block V8 engine found its way into the engine compartment of this truck, now residing in a car graveyard in Sparks, Nevada. This was the cheapest new Dodge-branded pickup Americans could buy as a 1987 model, though it had to compete with its near-identical Mitsubishi Mighty Max twin for sales. The 1980s were great times for little pickups in the United States, but a desire for bigger cabs and more creature comforts doomed them by the dawn of the following decade. The most interesting thing about this engine swap is that it didn't involve a Chevrolet or Ford small-block V8. Both the Chevy small-block and Ford Windsor V8s are a few inches narrower than the Chrysler LA-series V8, which makes them easier to stuff into a small vehicle. It appears that engine length was the critical dimension in this case, since the Mopar seems to have had enough side-to-side clearance to avoid any slicing of Mitsubishi steel to make it fit. My guess is that whoever did the swap happened to have the engine handy and that's why it's here. Keeping it all Dodge might have been a factor in the decision as well, though the truck's Mitsubishi ancestry makes that unlikely. It was over 100°F out when I found this truck, so I wasn't motivated to check block casting numbers to determine exactly which LA engine we're dealing with here. The easiest LAs to get cheap for the last four or so decades have been the 318 (5.1-liter) and the 360 (5.8-liter), so one of those two is the most likely candidate here. Power levels for these engines got pretty dismal during the Malaise Era, but anyone with the wrenching skills to do this swap would have applied some basic power-enhancing wizardry before the engine went in. We can see there's an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, and you might as well stab in a better camshaft if you're upgrading the intake. How much power? With a four-barrel carburetor on a dual-plane intake plus a meaner cam, 300 to 350 horsepower is easily achieved with one of these engines, even with stock exhaust manifolds.