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Mitsubishi had a shockingly good year in the U.S., and here's why

The year 2017 was a very good one for Mitsubishi in the United States. For the first time since 2007, the company sold more than 100,000 cars and crossovers here. Most of the credit goes to the Outlander, which sold just over 8,700 more examples this year than in 2016 for a total of 35,310. It was also the overall bestseller for the company in America. Its slightly smaller cousin, the Outlander Sport, was the second-best with 33,160 units, a number that barely changed from 2016. Also interesting to note is that each of Mitsubishi's crossovers roughly equaled the total number of traditional car sales, which include the last Lancers, Evos and i-MiEVs, as well as the Mirage hatch and Mirage G4 sedan. The Lancer actually did all right considering it was phased out in the middle of last year, selling over 12,000 units, almost as many as in 2016. Mirage hatchback sales dropped quite significantly at just over 6,000, but Mirage G4 sedan sales increased by roughly the same amount. Considering the weaker car sales, Mitsubishi has probably made the right decision to focus on expanding its crossover line with the all-new Eclipse Cross launching this year, and the newly available Outlander PHEV. This milestone also marks Mitsubishi's slow and steady gains lately. According to the company, this is the fifth year of increased sales in the U.S. And on a global scale, the company saw gains, too. Its sales topped 1 million worldwide compared with 934,000 in 2016. In China sales were up over 50 percent, and it also saw sales increases in the Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, and many countries in southeast Asia. So it seems Mitsubishi is making a nice little turnaround for itself. Related Video:

$99/month EV lease deals still out there, in some places

Has the electric-vehicle market really gotten to the point where folks can take out a lease for less than C-note per month? Yes, if you're interested in a Mitsubishi i of Smart ForTwo EV, Plug In Cars has found. As Mitsubishi prepares to bring in the 2015 model-year version of the i, it's unloading some of the 2013s for as little as $69 a month in some areas, bringing in a bit of deja vu for those who remember the $69 monthly lease rate some Mitsubishi dealers were asking for early last year. Meanwhile, a Smart EV can be had for $99 (discounted from $139 a month), with a $900 down payment, at at least one Connecticut dealership. Moving up to $139 a month could get you into a new Nissan Leaf, albeit with a honking' down payment of about $6,600. Chevrolet Spark EVs can be found in California and Oregon for as little as $199 a month. And both the Fiat 500e and Honda Fit EV can be found at some dealerships with lease rates in the mid-two-hundreds per month. The upper end of the plug-in scale - a Tesla Model S - still runs north of $1,000 a month (before you apply Tesla's various calculations to get to their "effective monthly cost"). But when you can afford to drive a Tesla, who's really counting? Featured Gallery 2012 Mitsubishi i: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: Plug In CarsImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Mitsubishi smart Electric ev sales lease i-miev i mitsubishi i smart fortwo ed

Nissan, Renault in talks to merge as one company

Nissan and Renault have been tied together as an alliance for nearly 20 years, but now the Japanese and French automakers are discussing whether to merge. Bloomberg, citing unidentified sources familiar with the confidential talks, reports that the idea is to form a larger, single publicly traded company to better compete against giants like Toyota and Volkswagen. It would also mark the end of the alliance that first began in 1999 and also includes Mitsubishi, in which Nissan acquired a controlling interest in 2016. A full merger would help the companies pool resources to develop electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and car-sharing services. It would involve Nissan giving Renault shareholders stock in the new company, with Nissan shareholders also gaining shares in the new company, Bloomberg reports. The new company would be run by Carlos Ghosn, the current chairman of both companies. But any such merger, as you might expect, would be complicated, in part by geopolitics. The French government owns a 15-percent stake in Renault, and both the French and Japanese governments might be reluctant to let go of their respective home-grown brands. Currently, Renault owns a 43-percent stake in Nissan, while Nissan owns 15 percent of its French partner. Reuters reported recently that Ghosn proposed buying most of the French government's stake in Renault as part of plans for a closer tie-up. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance already has been working to establish a $200 million mobility tech fund to invest in startups, a reflection of how seismic changes in the auto industry have left many legacy companies scrambling to stay current. Nissan in 2016 paid a reported $2.3 billion to acquire 34 percent of Mitsubishi in order to share platforms, technology, manufacturing and other resources. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Green Mitsubishi Nissan Renault car sharing merger