2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gs on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV now for real due in 'late summer, early fall'

Any day now, American plug-in vehicle shoppers will be able to actually buy a plug-in hybrid SUV. Europeans and Japanese buyers have had this option for many years, since the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV went on sale in those markets in 2013. There have been plenty of diversions in the route that is bringing the big PHEV to our shores, but it's looking like, "late summer, early fall," is when thing will for real happen. 10-20 percent of total Outlander sales would be "a very good number." That's the message from Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA), who we spoke to at the New York Auto Show where the PHEV made its debut appearance. Swearingen said that the dealers are as ready as the customers. "As we talked to our dealer council, they are all very interested in this product," he said. "[Range anxiety was] eliminated with this vehicle, and because of that, I think we are going to have some pretty good response." Swearingen didn't put a specific number to that claim, but said that 10-20 percent of total Outlander sales (which currently sit at around 2,000 a month) would be "a very good number." Previously, Mitsubishi representatives said they expected to sell 4,000 PHEV units in the first year. As we've documented over the years, there were a number of reasons for why the US didn't get the first batch of Outlander PHEVs. One of the big ones was that the PHEV was selling like gangbusters elsewhere. It's the best-selling PHEV in all of Europe, for example, and was the fourth-best-selling plug-in vehicle anywhere in February 2016. And Mitsubishi just couldn't make enough of them. Swearingen said the main bottleneck for this was the battery pack supplier Lithium Energy Japan, which didn't have the capacity to make more than it did. So, instead of leaving three markets without enough supply, Mitsubishi decided to leave one in the lurch and focus on the other two. Plus, since the Outlander PHEV will be based on the 2017 gas-powered Outlander, it will come with numerous safety enhancements as well as the 100+ improvements that the 2016 Outlander got compared to the 2015. In other words, all the pieces are all coming together. The Outlander PHEV is "the best of both worlds." - Francine Harsini At least, that's what Francine Harsini, MMNA's senior director of marketing, said. The final important part are the customers, and Harsini said that Mitsubishi will be a big national marketing push. The general theme?

How a powerful Nissan insider brought down Carlos Ghosn

Hari Nada   We may never truly know all the corporate skullduggery that went on at Nissan to get former boss Carlos Ghosn arrested and incarcerated in Japan, a country he ultimately fled in a box in what may be the greatest escape caper in corporate history. Nor may we ever truly know which accusations against Ghosn are or are not true. But Bloomberg News thinks it has a pretty good fix on the mastermind of the putsch, a Nissan senior vice president named Hari Nada. Nada, Bloomberg says, is "an insider known for his aggressive tactics and fondness for Marlboros, French cuff shirts and strong cologne." In a 4,600-word investigative piece, Bloomberg dials in on Nada, 56, as having directed other senior executives in a plot to bring down Ghosn, starting a year before his arrest in Tokyo. "The aftermath has been messy," Bloomberg puts it mildly, with Nissan losing billions of dollars, its management in disarray, and the alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi strained to the limits. The fortunes of the three automakers were sent reeling, with the coronavirus pandemic piling on. For his part, Ghosn is living in Lebanon as an international fugitive. Nada's role was basically as chief of staff to Ghosn, a position from which he could see that the chairman intended to strengthen the alliance, bringing the players together in one holding company. Nissan executives have long resisted closer ties and chafed at the company's junior-partner relationship with Renault, though ironically Ghosn's plan would have brought Nissan more of the parity it has always craved. Ghosn also wanted to expand, possibly by a merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.  Among Bloomberg's new discoveries: Nada arranged to have Ghosn's corporate email hacked, unbeknownst to key IT personnel or Nissan's CEO. This began months before Nada began working with prosecutors in a secret deal that afforded him immunity. Jose Munoz, a former Nissan exec and ally of Ghosn's, feared arrest — and refused to Tokyo when summoned — after being tipped off by the U.S. and Spanish ambassadors to Japan. Munoz is now chief operating officer at Hyundai. Top Nissan corporate counsel Ravinder Passi says he was retaliated against after raising complaints against Nada to Nissan's board. He says Nissan initiated a police raid of his home, which Bloomberg has on video. Nada purged other executives deemed rivals or disloyal and apparently became quite unpopular.

2023 Mitsubishi Colt name reborn in a hatchback with a familiar design

Mitsubishi is dusting off the heritage-laced Colt nameplate to plant its stake in one of the biggest segments of the European market. The new hatchback is scheduled to make its debut in June, and a dark preview image confirms that it's closely related to the Renault Clio. The teaser keeps most of the Colt's design hidden, but we see enough to tell that it shares more than a passing resemblance with the Clio, which is one of the best-selling cars in Europe. From the shape of the rear lights to the crease in the hatch, the styling cues that characterize the Renault's back end are present on the Mitsubishi. We haven't seen the front end yet, but we're assuming it will be very Clio-esque with the obvious exception of a Mitsubishi logo on the grille. This is badge-engineering rather than leveraging economies of scale, Supra-style. We already have a decent idea of what the specifications sheet will look like. Mitsubishi announced the entry-level engine will be a 1.0-liter three-cylinder rated at about 66 horsepower and bolted to a five-speed manual transmission; European motorists still buy stick-shifts, especially at this price point. Next up is a turbocharged version of the triple rated at 90 horsepower and linked to a six-speed manual, while buyers who want a hybrid will be able to pay extra for a 141-horsepower gasoline-electric drivetrain that consists of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, a pair of electric motors, and an automatic transmission. Like the Clio, the Colt will exclusively be available with front-wheel-drive. Built by Renault in Turkey, the new Mitsubishi Colt will make its debut on June 8. It doesn't sound like the hatchback will be sold in the United States. Renault hasn't homologated the Clio in our market, and the segment that the Colt would compete in is microscopic at best, at least in the U.S. When it lands, the Colt won't be the only Renault-designed Mitsubishi: the second-generation ASX launched recently is a re-badged Captur. Although badge-engineering brings with it a big bag of controversy, this is the only way Mitsubishi can justify a presence in Europe. Never spectacularly popular across the pond, the Japanese firm told its dealers in 2020 that it would exit the European and British markets. It hasn't returned to the United Kingdom, but the Renault-built Colt and ASX allowed it to keep selling cars in Europe while keeping costs in check.