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Junkyard Gem: 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante LS

While Chrysler started selling Dodge- and Plymouth-badged Mitsubishis in the United States starting with the 1971 model year, Americans couldn't buy new cars with the Mitsubishi name until 1983. Thirty-five years later, Mitsubishi is down to just four models on these shores, all of which cater to the lower end of the market. However, from 1992 through 2004, Mitsubishi tackled the luxury market with its Diamante big sedan. Here's a very rare second-to-last-model-year Diamante, spotted in a Denver-area wrecking yard. I have documented plenty of Mitsubishis during my junkyard explorations, but these late Diamantes have been tough to find (though I have spotted a Diamante wagon). Sales of this car weren't great given that Mitsubishi's name didn't exactly resonate with luxury shoppers. Not when there was a Lexus ES around that did the same thing with a proper premium badge and brand. Second-generation Diamantes sold outside of Japan were built in Australia. Mitsubishi got its money's worth with the 6G7 series of V6 engines, starting with the 1986 Galant and continuing in trucks to the present day. Endless Chryslers of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s also received 6G72 power. This car has the DOHC 3.5-liter 6G74 version, rated at 205 horsepower. The interior is pretty nice, in its turn-of-the-21st-century manner, and the fact that this car has an ignition key means that it's probably an insurance total or a dealership trade-in. The nose shows evidence of a fender-bender, and that's enough to doom a forgotten luxury car like this. Next stop: The Crusher. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante LS View 20 Photos Auto News Mitsubishi Automotive History Sedan

Next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander spied for the first time

Having been around relatively unchanged since the 2014 model year, it's about time that we're finally seeing a new generation of Mitsubishi Outlander crossover. This is the first prototype we've seen, and it's rather thinly disguised. From what we can tell, it will draw heavily from the Engelberg Tourer concept that was shown at this year's Geneva Motor Show (we still find that name strange, by the way). The next-generation Outlander's grille seems to have the now-trademark broad, metallic grille shared with the Eclipse Cross and recently refreshed Outlander Sport. It also has lights that spear off the top corners of the grille. In this application, they appear to simply be daytime running lights. The main illumination probably comes from the large rounded lamps below them. The grille and the shapes of the lights match the Engelberg concept, too. Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept View 12 Photos Also matching the Engelberg Tourer is the side profile. We can see that the roof panel is separated from the rest of the body, making it perfect for contrasting colors like those on the concept. The glass area kicks up at the rear just before the vertical edge at the rear. This creates a thick, upright D-pillar, just like the concept. The back of the Outlander is pretty clean and simple, and the taillights are thin and wide. The taillights extend forward into sharp points. All of these features are similar to the concept. With so much of the exterior mirroring Mitsubishi's earlier concept, we're expecting the Outlander to use a similar, if not identical powertrain. The concept featured a plug-in hybrid powertrain very much like the current Outlander PHEV, but with a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine rather than a 2.0-liter unit. Electric range was an estimated 43 miles, which also improves on the existing Outlander PHEV's 22 miles. This all seems very plausible for the new production Outlander PHEV. The powertrain for non-hybrid Outlanders is more of a mystery. Base models may get the Eclipse Cross's turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4. We'll have to wait to see if the V6 option sticks around. This prototype looks pretty far along in development, so we expect to see the production model shown within a year.

A realistic approach to fixing Mitsubishi

There are going to be a lot of words written about what Nissan needs to do with Mitsubishi in the coming months and years in the interest of turning the brand around. After Nissan's purchase of a controlling stake in the diamond star brand, there's been more interest in Mitsubishi thanks to the potential of platform sharing and plenty of cash from Nissan-Renault to get the juices flowing again. But, while some have been doing their best to advocate for the return of the 3000GT, Evolution, and even the Starion - Many of these posts forget the reality of the market we live in today. As much as we like to look back fondly at the sports coupes of the '90s, a byproduct of the insane cash flows all the Japanese manufacturers had at the time, the reality of today puts a much greater emphasis on what is most-boring; Crossover SUVs, alongside mid-size and compact sedans. We do need to ask a fundamental question, how much Mitsubishi is enough to be able to continue to call the cars Mitsubishis? Aside from slight product revisions and reconfigurations, Mitsubishi (at least in North America) has been largely dependent on the same GS platform and 4B1 engines that date back to their long-time partnership with Chrysler (and Hyundai) in the mid '00s. Admittedly, the chassis and engines have served the company well, underpinning a wide variety of vehicles sold around the world, and seeing quite a few revisions to at least attempt to keep products competitive. But, the GS chassis is old, heavy, and severely out of date - and when matched to the underpowered 4B1 series engines - make for largely uncompetitive offerings in the market. While something like the Outlander Sport is indeed interesting compared to a Honda CR-V, it is by no means the smart choice in the segment. So, going forward, unless Mitsubishi has had a skunkworks of sorts developing their chassis and engine replacements over the past few years, what exactly are they planning to do for their bread-and-butter models? I think the straightforward answer is without a doubt the Nissan North America parts bin. With so many of their models selling well, and for the most part, are reasonably well-reviewed, it would be quite simple to adapt the chassis and powertrain to Mitsubishi's liking to create a high-volume alternative to what is currently available now.