2008 Lancer Evolution Gsr Evo Awd Turbo Manual Trans Well Maintained on 2040-cars

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Fiat taps Mitsubishi for European pickup

Mitsubishi is often derided in the US for its relatively boring lineup, Lancer Evolution aside, but the company is on the upswing worldwide, recently posting record global operating profits. The Japanese automaker may get a further boost in the near future from a rumored pickup truck deal with Fiat.
According to insider sources speaking to Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi would reportedly build a variant of its widely respected L200 pickup truck for the Fiat Professional brand in Europe and Latin America starting in 2016. The L200 is larger than the Fiat Strada front-wheel-drive pickup already available in those markets, and it's available in rear- and four-wheel-drive configurations. The idea of adding a midsize truck to the commercial lineup was in the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles five-year plan, but it didn't include any mention of a partnership to build it.
At first blush, the Mitsubishi agreement seems like an odd move, given that Fiat already owns pickup truck specialists Ram. However, according to ANE, the company had at one time planned to use a version of a new Dodge Dakota pickup for duty in Europe and Latin America, but the model never came to fruition.

Carlos Ghosn appears in court: 'I am wrongly accused'

TOKYO — Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn told a Tokyo court on Tuesday that he was innocent, defending his honor in his first public appearance since he was arrested on Nov. 19 and charged with false financial reporting. "Your honor, I am innocent of the accusations against me," Ghosn told the judge, speaking firmly and calmly as he read from a statement. "I am wrongfully accused." Prosecutors have charged Ghosn, who led a dramatic turnaround at the Japanese automaker over the past two decades, with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) over five years through 2015. They also say he is suspected of having Nissan temporarily take on his investment losses from the financial crisis. Seen for the first time since his November arrest, Ghosn was wearing a dark suit without a tie, and plastic slippers, and looked thinner and with gray hair. He rebutted the allegations against him point-by-point and said he had the option to leave Nissan but had decided to stay on. "A captain doesn't jump ship during a storm," he told the court in a strong voice. The veteran auto executive, a familiar face at the World Economic Forum and other elite gatherings, was handcuffed and led into the courtroom with a rope around his waist as the hearing began. Officers uncuffed him and seated him on a bench. Presiding judge Yuichi Tada then read out the charges and said Ghosn, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, was considered a flight risk — he was arrested on his arrival in Tokyo by private jet — and might try to hide evidence. In Japan, suspects are routinely held without bail, often due to fears about evidence tampering. During Tuesday's hearing, Go Kondo, one of Ghosn's lawyers, argued he was not a flight risk. "He's widely known so it's difficult for him to escape. There is no risk that the suspect will destroy evidence," he said. Facing the courtroom, Ghosn spoke proudly of the automaker's — and his own — achievements, such as reviving iconic models like the GT-R and the Z, expanding operations in China, Russia, Brazil and India and pioneering electric cars and autonomous driving. "I have a genuine love and appreciation for Nissan," he said. Ghosn has been held in spartan conditions at a Tokyo detention facility since he was taken into custody. In keeping with Japanese regulations, he has been allowed visits only from his lawyers and consular officials.

Mitsubishi could add 'Evo' crossover

You should have done this years ago, but in case you haven't, open your dictionaries to the word "Sacred" and tear the entire page out. Done? Good. Now, to continue... With the traditional sedan-based, gas-powered Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution using its four driven wheels to enter the grave at the end of this year, Auto Express reports that it's possible that Mitsubishi could use the "Evo" appellation on a high-performance, all-wheel-drive version of the Outlander Sport (called the "ASX" in Europe). This has been more than a year in the making, in truth. Last year Mitsubishi said that another "high-performance four-wheel-drive gasoline-powered sedan" wasn't going to happen, and that what did come would be a result of exploring "the possibilities of high-performance models that incorporate electric vehicle technology." As Auto Express sees it, the next-generation Outlander Sport will launch initially with four-wheel drive, followed by a two-wheel-drive, plug-in hybrid model. The company's UK chief said that an Evo-worthy model "isn't a huge jump" from there, once the bread-and-butter segments are satisfied. Mitsubishi is doing much better financially, and this would be one of the experiments it could now afford to try out. An Outlander Sport Evo isn't done and dusted - there's no business case for it yet, and who knows, a potential Evo version could be a UK- or Europe-only trim - but "a lot of senior management" is discussing it.