2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Mr Touring Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Despite missteps, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV a hit in UK

Like a stiff breeze off the White Cliffs of Dover, UK sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid may have the wind at its back. That's because the Japanese automaker isn't charging any extra, relative to the diesel-powered Outlander. And UK's Duxford Auto Group says it's already feeling the positive effects. The auto dealership is conducting about a dozen test drives a day for potential (and curious) customers, Cambridge News says. More tellingly, Duxford Auto is rebooking another dozen or so test drives per weekend day because of pent-up interest. The company hasn't released UK sales figures, Mitsubishi spokesman Dan Irvin told AutoblogGreen, but Duxford Auto says sales will be stronger than expected, especially since the Outlander PHEV is exempt from UK congestion charges. Mitsubishi introduced the Outlander PHEV to the UK this spring. The bonus there was that, inclusive of a UK government grant, the car was priced at the equivalent of about $47,000, or about the same price as the base diesel-powered version. The model, which pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor, has an all-electric range of 32 miles. Mitsubishi ran into problems with the Outlander PHEV in spring 2013 after a battery melted at a Japan dealership, causing the company to halt production on the model. The company later discovered that some of the batteries were short-circuiting due to a flaw in the screening process. Once those issues were solved, Mitsubishi doubled its production rate last year to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, Automotive News reported last month that California regulators will delay sales of the model in that state to late next year or early 2016 because of battery issues. The state, easily the largest US plug-in vehicle market, wants Mitsubishi to include battery-degradation monitors for the car's lithium-ion batteries. Mitsubishi spokesman Alex Fedorak refuted the report that the Outlander PHEV may not be available in the US until 2016. "Launch plans for the US version of the Outlander PHEV remain unchanged with an expected debut of Fall 2015," Fedorak told AutoblogGreen.

Mitsubishi to join alliance with Honda and Nissan, Nikkei reports

TOKYO — Japan's Mitsubishi Motors is set to join an alliance between Honda Motor and Nissan Motor, creating a tie-up between automakers with combined sales of more than 8 million vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday. Mitsubishi Motors, which is 34% owned by Nissan, will work with Honda and Nissan to finalize the details of their strategic partnership, Nikkei said, adding the three firms intend to standardize in-vehicle software that controls cars. Mitsubishi Motors declined to comment on the report, while a Nissan spokesperson would only say the report was not based on something either of the companies had announced. Spokespeople for Honda did not respond to a request for comment. The push comes as Nissan, Japan's third biggest automaker, has been steadily losing market share in its two largest markets, the United States and China, which together accounted for half of its global sales in the year to March. On Thursday, the company slashed its annual outlook after heavy discounting in the U.S. almost completely wiped out its first-quarter profit. Nissan and Honda said in March they were considering a strategic partnership to collaborate on producing electric vehicle components and artificial intelligence in automotive software platforms. Mitsubishi Motors is already part of a long-standing alliance with Nissan and France's Renault that the three automakers last year agreed to restructure, aiming for a downsized but more pragmatic and agile partnership. Separate collaboration between Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors could help Japan's automakers cut costs and beef up to battle tough competition in EVs, dominated by companies like China's BYD and Tesla. In China, the world's largest auto market, Japanese brands previously were strong but are now up against domestic automakers that have rapidly increased production and won over consumers with low-priced vehicles loaded with software.

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander recalled over potentially faulty fuel pump

Mitsubishi is recalling nearly 17,000 units of the 2022 Outlander due to a potential issue with the fuel pump's wiring. It explained that not all of the SUVs included in the campaign are fitted with a faulty fuel pump, but it's recalling a relatively large batch of cars to be on the safe side. The company told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that affected examples of the Outlander were built with a fuel pump whose commutator and wires weren't fused properly during the production process, an issue which results in poor continuity. This can cause the commutator and the brushes in the fuel pump to wear abnormally, which can cause the part to stop sending gasoline to the engine — in turn, the engine would suddenly stall or not start. The issue is due to an error made by a subcomponent supplier, according to the firm. Mitsubishi wrote that the recall includes 16,616 units of the new-for-2022 Outlander in the United States, though it estimates that only about 1% of those are fitted with a defective fuel pump. Affected vehicles were built between February 8, 2021, and October 12, 2021. Owners of affected cars will be notified by mail starting in March 2022. They'll need to bring their Outlander to the nearest service center to get the fuel pump replaced with an updated part free of charge. Motorists will also be able to get expenses related to the defect (like a towing bill, presumably) reimbursed by contacting Mitsubishi's customer relations department once they receive the recall notification letter. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.