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Feds arrest two men accused of smuggling Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box

Authorities say this Dec. 30, 2019, image from security camera video shows Michael Taylor, center, and George-Antoine Zayek at passport control at Istanbul Airport in Turkey. Taylor, a former Green Beret and his son, Peter Taylor, 27, were arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts on charges they smuggled Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box in December 2019, while he awaited trial there on financial misconduct charges. / Getty Images   WASHINGTON — A former Green Beret and his son were arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts on charges they smuggled Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box while he awaited trial there on financial misconduct charges. Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret and private security specialist, and Peter Taylor, 27, are wanted by Japan on charges they helped Ghosn escape the country in December after he was released on bail. The men were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Harvard and were expected to appear before a judge via videoconference later Wednesday. The tale of the daring escape began on Dec. 28, 2019, when Peter Taylor arrived in Japan and met with Ghosn at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo for about an hour, authorities said. Just before 10 a.m. the next day, Michael Taylor flew into Osaka, Japan, on a chartered Bombardier Global Express jet from Dubai with another man, George-Antoine Zayek, carrying two large black boxes with them. The elder Taylor was experienced with sticky situations. Over the years, he has been hired by parents to rescue abducted children, gone undercover for the FBI in a sting on a Massachusetts drug gang and worked as a contractor for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The last assignment had landed him in a Utah jail for 14 months, caught in a federal contract fraud case that upended TaylorÂ’s family and finances before he agreed to plead guilty to two charges. It's not clear yet how Ghosn hooked up with Taylor. At their arrival, Taylor and Zayek, his Lebanese-born colleague, told airport employees they were musicians carrying audio equipment. Meanwhile, Ghosn, who was out of custody on a hefty bail, headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor in his hotel room, authorities said. The elder Taylor and Zayek joined after a brief stop to rent a separate room near the airport. And soon after their arrival, the group left the Grand Hyatt and split up.

Not a dry eye in the house for last Mitsubishi Evo X video

Say what you will about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution; we're going to miss this one when it's gone. Japan's rally car for the street is officially being phased out, and production is ending in Japan. But not before one Final Edition, and a final video showing the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive wonder being built. In Japan, the Final Edition is limited to a run of just 1,000 units. It's based on the GSR model with the five-speed manual transmission, but comes with performance goodies like Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, Recaro seats, Brembo brakes, and more. See it for yourself in the gallery, below. Over the course of 23 years, there have been 10 generations of the Lancer Evolution. And while Evo X might not be our favorite (this author much prefers Evo IX, for what it's worth), it's still sad to see Mitsubishi's iconic, winged sedan head to the grave. A sign of the times, Mitsubishi says the Evo "will be replaced in spirit" by a high-power, hybrid SUV. That's a tall order, and doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but we'll see. For now, say goodbye to the Evo X by watching the final production video, above. And just be thankful Subaru still makes its lovely WRX STI.

Aggressive new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S coming to Paris

Already a hit in the rest of the world, the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid is not coming to the US until late next year. That gives Mitsu plenty of time to upgrade the SUV to the next-generation model, and we might be getting a glimpse of what the US-speck Outlander PHEV will look like at the Paris Motor Show in early October. Take a look at the new "Sporty and Sophisticated" Outlander PHEV Concept-S that Mitsubishi is teasing in two dark images today. Mitsubishi says that what's being teased here is simply part of a "special package" that "magnifies the Outlander PHEV's unique driving experience." But, the last time Mitsubishi showed off an Outlander PHEV concept – at the 2012 Paris show – the production model ended up looking quite a bit like the show version. With aggressive lines all over the front fascia and bold strokes across the rear, the new concept certainly looks a lot better than the current model. We don't expect all of this auto show pizazz to make the final cut, but we like the direction that Mitsubishi is going here, extending the design language from the Outlander XR PHEV and GC-PHEV concepts from last year's Tokyo show. We should know more when we get to Paris on October 2nd. Until then, click on the images to get a better view and check out Mitsubishi's press release below. Mitsubishi Motors Europe issued the following news release at 6:00 pm on September 2, 2014. Paris, September 2, 2014 - Two years after it premiered its successful Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid electric Twin Motor SUV/crossover at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has elected the "Mondial de L'Automobile" again – this time to unveil another PHEV vehicle: Outlander PHEV Concept-S. Sporty & Sophisticated The Outlander PHEV Concept-S is a concept model MMC proposes as a special package of the Outlander PHEV production model that has a refined interior and exterior design that magnifies the Outlander PHEV's unique driving experience. The Outlander PHEV Concept-S takes "Sporty and Sophisticated" as the theme for its design. This refined design expresses the unique combination of spirited 4x4 performance from its twin-motor PHEV system, soothing silent running, and superior on-road performance.