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Mitsubishi Mirage will launch in US with three-cylinder engine [w/video]

We have a date with Mitsubishi Mirage (again). The Japanese subcompact is slated to arrive on our shores in September 2013, and it's one of the product offerings meant to help Mitsubishi's US arm raise sales in its next financial year from 55,000 to 80,000. If next year were 1989, we'd say there's no reason that couldn't happen, but from what we've seen, the Mirage is so magnificently meek (have you seen the interior?) that we aren't sure how it will manage that kind of US sales aggression in the 21st century.
Continuing that theme, Car and Driver reports that the Mitsu will launch here with a 1.2-liter, three-cylinder engine. Make no mistake, this is a very popular engine in the Mirage and responsible for its excellent fuel economy. The hatch is doing so well in other markets with its two naturally aspirated tri-cylinders that the Thailand facility that builds the Mirage will have its capacity increased by 33 percent to try and meet demand. In European spec, the 845-kilogram (1,859 pounds) subcompact with the more powerful engine offering 79 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque gets 57.3 miles per US gallon and takes 11.7 seconds to get from zero to 62 miles per hour. The question is whether Mitsubishi will boost the output of that engine for our market. If not, only the 70-hp Smart ForTwo will have less horsepower - but the Mirage, interestingly enough, weighs about the same as the microcar.
On its UK site, Mitsubishi said the reveal of the Mirage in back 2011 meant "redefining the standards by which to judge a compact passenger car." We can't wait to find out if that's still true and what that means when it gets here. To prepare yourself, there's video of the Mirage in action below.

Spectator killed in seventh stage of Dakar Rally

Not surprisingly, tragedy has struck at the Dakar Rally this year. A vehicle hit a spectator in the seventh stage of the rally on Saturday, along the stretch between Uyuni, Bolivia, and Salta, Argentina. Running in 52nd place, the Mitsubishi Lancer driven by French contestant Lionel Baud hit a 63-year-old spectator. Emergency medical personnel responded to the accident, only to declare the man dead on the scene. This was the second time a competing vehicle collided with spectators in this year's event. During the Prologue stage a week ago, Guo Meiling drove her Mini into a crowd of spectators, injuring eleven – including a father and son who were hospitalized in critical condition. This is the first time, however, that a death occurred as part of the rally since 2013, when a support vehicle collided with two taxis in Peru and killed two. Though still in progress, this year's rally has been dominated thus far by the Peugeot team. All but the opening Prologue stage have been won by the French team, with Sebastien Loeb winning three out of six full stages run so far. His teammate Stephane Peterhansel has won another two, while Carlos Sainz won the tragic seventh stage on Saturday. Following Sunday's rest day, there remain another six stages before the rally concludes in Rosario on January 16.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is world's first production plug-in hybrid CUV [w/video]

Though Mitsubishi first showed us the form of its 2013 Outlander in Geneva a while back, the company saved its plug-in hybrid crossover for this week's Paris Motor Show soiree.
Mitsubishi is quite proud to offer what it says is the world's first production PHEV utility vehicle, a new model that makes use of established technologies within the company. Learnings from the company's i-MiEV electric car have worked there way into a vehicle that can travel up to 55 kilometers (34 miles) on lithium-ion battery power. Two electric motors independently power the front and rear wheels of the Outlander, while the gasoline-powered engine can be used as a generator for the motors, or to power the vehicle directly. The target combined fuel economy for the Outlander PHEV is 61 km/liter, or roughly 143 miles per gallon.
The Outlander PHEV will be introduced in the Japanese market in the first part of 2013, with European and North American markets to follow on. There is no word about an on-sale date, but while you're pondering the possibilities, check out an official video by scrolling down and peruse our high-res image gallery.