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Minnesota couple puts 414k miles on a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage

A couple in Minnesota just traded in their 414,000-mile 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, which is notable for any car, topping many of the Junkyard Gems we've featured. We were also impressed because that's a lot of miles in a car that we weren't especially fond of. But the couple that owned it, Jerry and Janice Huot, clearly liked it. Dubbed the "Purple Won" in a nod to Prince, the subcompact endured six upper Midwest winters as an all-purpose utility and delivery vehicle. "I always loved the comments at gas stations and grocery stores and waves from people as I’d drive by," Jerry said. "Kids would always stop and point. Everybody seemed to love that car; it would make everyone smile whenever they saw it." The Huots were repeat Mitsubishi buyers in search of something with better fuel efficiency than their Cadillac. While Mitsubishi didn't specify which model the Huots traded in, it's safe to say that whatever it was, the 2014 Mirage would have been a significant upgrade in that respect, as it was rated at 37 mpg in the city, 44 on the highway and 40 combined when it was sold new; the EPA has since re-rated it at 36/42/39.   "Right in the middle of the showroom was this little purple Mirage that got 44 mpg," Janice told Mitsubishi. "IÂ’d had an Outlander Sport and Montero Sport before and loved them, so it seemed like a good choice. We drove the Mirage home that day, right off the showroom floor." "Janice drove it mostly for the first 7,000 miles or so, but when winter came, she wanted all-wheel-drive, so she got a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport," Jerry says. "But then I started using the Mirage for my business. I am a courier. I deliver samples from various doctorsÂ’ offices to labs, so I drive up and down the state and around town in Minneapolis all the time. The Mirage never missed a beat. It got me up and out of our gravel driveway, even in the middle of winter, when others got stuck in the snow." According to the Huots, the Mirage only needed two noteworthy repairs on its way to 414,000 miles: a replacement starter motor between 200,000 and 300,000 miles and a new set of wheel bearings some time after 150k, both of which they say were addressed under warranty. We checked with Mitsubishi, who confirmed that the Huots purchased an extended warranty from the dealership, hence the coverage of failed items at such high mileage. Apart from that, the Huots say it has needed only regularly scheduled maintenance. What replaced it? Another Mirage, predictably.

Carlos Ghosn, a year after arrest, still seeks trial date and access to evidence

TOKYO — A year after his arrest, Nissan ex-Chairman Carlos Ghosn remains stuck in Tokyo under stringent bail conditions and without a trial date as he seeks access to a trove of Nissan emails and other evidence to fight charges of financial misconduct. His lawyers have asked a court to grant access to 6,000 pieces of evidence collected from Nissan such as electronic communications, which they say is crucial for a fair trial, showed an Oct. 4 court filing seen by Reuters. The once-feted executive has spent 129 days in detention since his arrest shortly after his private jet touched down at a Tokyo airport on Nov. 19, 2018. He faces four charges — which he denies — including hiding income and enriching himself through payments to dealerships in the Middle East. Nissan sacked Ghosn, saying its internal investigations revealed misconduct ranging from understating his salary while he was its chief executive, and transferring $5 million of Nissan funds to an account in which he had an interest. An earlier court ruling allowed prosecutors to hand back evidence to Nissan during pretrial wrangling over witnesses and evidence similar to the U. S. discovery process. If prosecutors are "given the freedom to unilaterally delete the collected evidence and return it to relevant parties, this is equivalent to granting the investigative agencies the right to destroy evidence," showed the filing to the Tokyo District Court. The lawyers also asked the court to rescind the earlier ruling, saying some evidence could be erased by Nissan to protect confidential business information. They argued the "ruling deprives Mr. Ghosn of his right to receive a fair public trial by an impartial court," as it enabled prosecutors to view and use the evidence and withhold it from the defense. Prosecutors are not required to hand over all evidence they or the police gather during investigations unless ordered by the court, unlike in the U.S. discovery process where prosecutors and defense lawyers disclose the evidence they intend to present in court. A spokeswoman for the Tokyo prosecutors' office said the office could not comment on individual cases. A Nissan spokeswoman declined to comment. Ghosn's lawyers have also asked the court to dismiss all charges against him, accusing prosecutors of colluding with government officials and Nissan executives to oust him to block any takeover of the automaker by French alliance partner Renault SA, of which Ghosn was also chairman.

Investigators say Mitsubishi mpg scandal was 'collective failure'

Investigators hired by Mitsubishi Motors to probe why the Japanese automaker engaged in falsifying fuel-economy figures for the past quarter-century faulted the company's "corporate culture." Specifically, there was a lack of unity between divisions, company-wide pressure to boost fuel-efficiency numbers, and an unwillingness to accept fuel-economy shortfalls, Automotive News says, citing comments made by consultants who hired by the company to investigate the problems. Challenging management authority even if it was proper to do so was also frowned upon. One of the investigators called the scandal "a collective failure." Among other suggestions, the consultants recommended that Mitsubishi's vehicle-mileage certification be independent from research and development, that there's greater transparency overall, and that there's a more thorough understanding of laws. New shareholder Nissan may also invest in retooling Mitsubishi's R&D operations, and is sending one of its former executives, Mitsuhiko Yamashita, to Mitsubishi to try to prevent any sort of repeat problems. Mitsubishi joined a list of automakers including Volkswagen, Hyundai/Kia, and Ford that have been found in recent years to either mislead with its published fuel-efficiency figures or emissions-testing procedures. A Nissan spokesman declined to comment on the Mitsubishi report, according to Automotive News. The recommendation comes less than three months after the announcement that Nissan would help rescue Mitsubishi from its fuel-economy scandal by acquiring part of the company. Nissan agreed in May to pay $2.2 billion for a 34-percent stake in Mitsubishi, and said at the time that Mitsubishi would join the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan also owns 15 percent of France-based Renault. That announcement came right after Mitsubishi's admission that it may have falsified fuel-economy data for every one of its vehicles made in Japan dating back to 1991. Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Green Mitsubishi Nissan Fuel Efficiency scandal diesel scandal