2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Nissan slashes profit forecast as Ghosn arrest hurts brand appeal

TOKYO — Nissan cut its profit forecast for the fiscal year through March on Wednesday to reflect slowing sales, higher costs and the fallout from a criminal investigation of its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan Motor Co. expects to post a 319 billion yen ($2.9 billion) profit for the fiscal year, marking a 22% drop from its earlier 410 billion yen ($3.7 billion) forecast. Nissan said the downgrade reflects higher costs in the U.S. from a warranty extension campaign for some vehicles and falling sales due to "corporate issues," alluding to the Ghosn scandal. Ghosn was arrested in November and is facing charges of underreporting his income and breach of trust. He says he is innocent. He was released on bail in March and is awaiting another court decision on bail after his re-arrest on April 4. Nissan, which is allied with Renault SA of France, has seen sales lag in France and Japan, where Ghosn is widely known. In the U.S. and China, buyers aren't as affected by the scandal, but the markets there overall have slowed. Other factors contributed to the revision, such as production not keeping up with demand for the Note, an extremely popular model in Japan. But the high-profile scandal has weakened the brand appeal of the maker of the Leaf electric car, Infiniti luxury model and X-trail sports utility vehicle. Nissan said it expects to sell 5.5 million vehicles in this fiscal year. Earlier it predicted it would sell 5.6 million. The company sold nearly 5.8 million vehicles in the fiscal year that ended in March 2018. The automaker reduced its sales outlook by 0.2% for the fiscal year through March 2019 to 11.5 trillion yen ($103 billion), compared to its previous forecast. It was Nissan's second downgrade for its outlook following one in February that cited faltering sales in China and the U.S. At that time, Nissan also logged costs about 9.2 billion yen ($83 million) related to the alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation. Nissan has promised to strengthen its corporate governance to prevent a recurrence of what it says is serious wrongdoing by Ghosn. Ghosn was sent by Nissan's French alliance partner, Renault SA, to help turn the Japanese automaker around when it was near bankruptcy 20 years ago. The future of the alliance is one of many questions clouding Nissan's future following Ghosn's ouster since he was the main liaison for the alliance, which includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors.

Mitsubishi Outlander, Evo to keep things safe at Pikes Peak

Mitsubishi has already announced that it will be returning as a competitor to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a pair of all-electric MiEV Evolution II racecars. In addition to these entrants, the automaker will also be the presenting sponsor of the race as well as providing the official safety vehicles to the event using specially prepped versions of the 2014 Outlander and Lancer Evolution.
While it isn't clear what exactly will be demanded of the safety vehicles, this isn't going to your run-of-the-mill pace car duty. To get the Outlander and Evo ready for the 156-turn, 12.42-mile course, Mitsubishi teamed up with companies such as BBS, Cobb Tuning, AEM and Muellerized Suspension Systems as well as DC Sports and Kenwood to create these one-off safety cars. These vehicles, and all the racecars, will be at Pikes Peak later this month for the 91st running of America's second-oldest racing event. Scroll down for the official press release.

2016 Mitsubishi Lancer adds features, loses Ralliart

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution may be going away, but the base car is sticking around for the foreseeable future, as evidenced by a host of changes for the 2016 model year. The same basic look has been updated with a bolder front bumper that features vertical LED accents. The rear end, though, looks totally free of any significant changes. The profile gets some small updates, including mirrors with integrated turn signals and a flashy (optional) set of 18-inch wheels. The Lancer's cabin gets a similarly modest array of upgrades, including standard USB connectivity in a redesigned center console, standard display audio, and a redesigned, optional infotainment system. In addition to the new standard features Mitsu will offer a color LCD display in the instrument cluster, the LED running lights, and automatic air conditioning on the base ES trim. Mechanically, Mitsubishi has expanded the availability of its snappy All-Wheel Control all-wheel-drive system. Not only will it be offered on as standard on the carried-over SE and new SEL trim, but it can be snagged as an option on the base ES trim. All AWD-equipped cars will feature the same CVT8 offered on the Outlander Sport and Outlander, although front-drive trims, the base ES, and the more aggressively styled GT, will offer a five-speed manual as standard. Despite the new CVT, the engine lineup is unchanged for 2016, with the base ES using a 2.0-liter, 148-hp four-cylinder, while all other trims get a more robust, 168-hp, 2.4-liter mill. And now, the bad news. Just as there will be no more Lancer Evolution, Mitsubishi has dropped the lukewarm Lancer Ralliart. Slotting in between the Evo and the Lancer GT, the Ralliart offered all-wheel-drive, turbocharged power, and the Evo's dual-clutch transmission, along with a dose of its big brother's style. Prices get a tiny bump for 2016, with the Lancer's base price jumping up $200, to $18,405. Adding a CVT increases the price by $1,000, while all-wheel drive requires another $400. The AWD-only SE starts at $21,805, while the SEL demands another $1,000. Finally, the top-end GT starts at $23,305 for a five-speed stick, or $24,305 for the CVT model. Read on for the official press release from Mitsubishi, and be sure to check out the updated Lancer in the gallery, up top.