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Self-driving Mitsubishis could use adapted missile technology

Mitsubishi is a big company made up of many different divisions and subsidiaries. Yeah, we tend to focus on Mitsubishi Motors, but the sprawling company also manufactures steel, builds televisions – we all knew someone in the 1990s with a hulking Mitsubishi "big screen" – and even screws together fighter jets and the missiles they carry. According to a report from Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi Motors is hoping to leverage the capabilities of its sister companies to catch up to the competition and get driverless cars on the road by 2020. That means adapting millimeter-wave radars, sensors, and cameras built for missiles to automotive uses. As Mitsubishi sees it, having the development work done on this tech – albeit for a radically different application – gives it a big advantage over the competition. "All we have to do is to put together the components that we already have," Katsumi Adachi, the chief engineer for Mitsu's auto equipment division, told ANE. "None of our competitors have such a wide array of capabilities." As ANE goes on to explain with the help of Tokyo-based IHS analyst Goro Tanamachi, this is no plug-and-play application. That's largely because of the different economics of the automotive and defense industries. In the former, the bean counters have a tremendous say. There are cuts and cost reductions and all sorts of other stuff designed to maximize profit margins. The defense industry, though, is the land of sparing no expense – that, according to Tanamachi-san, could make adapting missile tech to autonomous vehicles a possible, but potentially very pricey proposition. "Cost-cutting requests are much more severe in autos than aerospace," Tanamachi-san told ANE. "I wonder if it's possible for them to bring down the cost of the systems to the levels manufacturers can use for cheap, low-end cars." Related Video: X

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport SVP Concept is the offroad Mitsu we want

The Mitsubishi Shogun Sport SVP Concept just debuted at the Commercial Vehicle Show in the U.K. For those unaware of the Shogun Sport's origins, it's a Mitsubishi Triton-based SUV with truck-like off-road capability. This concept raises the bar for what's possible with this big SUV when the terrain gets rough. Mitsubishi and some aftermarket suppliers have given the truck some impressive modifications. For one, it has a 40 mm wider track and new offroad suspension. Walkinshaw Performance Limited and Koni both helped with new components and the suspension tuning. BF Goodrich all-terrain tires wrap new Predator 18-inch off-road wheels with a red outer rim design. Then to give the sides of the Shogun Sport more clearance while rock crawling, Mitsubishi fitted raised side steps finished in black. Other trail-ready add-ons include the big LED light bar and rally-style PIAA driving lamps on the grille. Mitsubishi has changed up the design a bit by adding a new colored grille, massive decal package and a big hatch lid badge. The interior gets a few new bits like heavier bolstered seats, red LED mood lighting and special patterns used throughout. Of course, we don't get the Shogun Sport in the United States. This concept happens to use Mitsubishi's 2.4-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder, which makes 181 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. Mitsubishi has recently talked about a return to trucks in America, but nothing certain is in the pipeline for now. Meanwhile, we just got our first look at Mitsubishi's smallest new crossover yesterday, the 2020 Outlander Sport.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.