2013 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Gt on 2040-cars

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2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross arrives in the U.S., pricing starts at $24,290

The first shipment of the 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has arrived in the United States. Mitsubishi's new all-wheel drive compact crossover will go on sale in showrooms in early March with a starting price of $24,290, including a destination charge of $995. The Eclipse Cross debuted last year at the Geneva Motor Show with design cues borrowed from the XR-PHEV II Concept from 2015. The exterior design, which Mitsubishi says is inspired by a runner in the "Get set" position, includes a forward-raked rear window, wedge profile and deep side crease. Its starting price slots it just below competitors like the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson, and it will come in four trim levels. Those include the base ES, which is the only trim available with front-wheel drive. Adding all-wheel drive, or S-AWC in Mitsubishi speak, adds only $600 to the base price. The LE S-AWC trim starts at $25,890 and the range-topping SE S-AWC starts at $27,390, though neither are eligible for options, so those are pretty much the prices customers will be dealing with. All trim levels are powered by a direct-injection turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four that makes 152 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The S-AWC acronym would stand for Super All-Wheel Control, Mitsubishi's system that manages torque supplied to each wheel for added straight-line stability and cornering performance. It offers three selectable driving modes — auto, snow and gravel — to enhance performance. Safety technology includes blind-spot warning and lane-change assist, forward collision mitigation and lane-departure warning, plus a system that automatically adjusts headlight brightness to the conditions. Interior features include an available 7-inch infotainment display with a touchpad controller, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus voice recognition via Google Assistant or Siri. There's also a full-color LCD head-up display available. A dual-pane sunroof and heated rear seats are some of the other niceties. The Eclipse Cross joins the brand's stable of crossovers, the Outlander and slightly smaller Outlander Sport, which helped Mitsubishi to a banner year in 2017, selling more than 100,000 vehicles for the first time in a decade. It also joins the Outlander PHEV, also new for 2018. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Japan supports hydrogen, Fools against fuel cells, BlueIndy controversy

Japan hopes to expand the use of hydrogen energy by subsidizing fuel cell vehicles, according to The Japan News. The trade ministry plans to include the subsidies in its 2015 budget to coincide with the expected launch of Toyota's Fuel Cell Vehicle and the Honda FCEV hydrogen car. By jump-starting purchases of hydrogen cars, Japan hopes that innovation and mass-production will get a boost and the cost of fuel cell vehicles will be competitive with gasoline-powered models by the year 2025. Japan plans to have 100 hydrogen fueling locations operating by March 2016, and wants to halve the cost of building those stations by 2020. The amount of the subsidies has not yet been set. Investing website The Motley Fool isn't quite as optimistic as Japan about hydrogen cars, and is instead bullish about Tesla Motors. The Fool points to Tesla's strong stock performance, and predicts future growth will come from more car models in the future - starting with the Model X - as well as the company's proposed Gigafactory for manufacturing batteries. If Tesla's charging technology continues to catch on, that only improves its financial prospects. The article has some harsh words, however, for hydrogen: "Fuel cells are an inferior automotive technology and for fundamental efficiency, cost, and infrastructure reasons always will be mere compliance gimmicks." Yeesh. As part of a program to build charging stations for the Indianapolis EV carsharing service BlueIndy, utility company Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) wants to raise its electricity rates an average of 44 cents a month per residential customer to help pay for its share of the project. State consumer advocacy agency Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and consumer watchdog group Citizens Action Coalition oppose the plan, according to Greenfield, Indiana's Daily Reporter. The BlueIndy program, which is a partnership between the city of Indianapolis and battery manufacturer Bollore Group, will provide up to 500 cars for rent at 25 charging sites around the city. Those who oppose the rate hike call IPL a monopoly and say the amount of the increase is not allowed under state law and that the program wouldn't benefit working class and low-income citizens. A hearing regarding IPL's proposal is scheduled for July 23. A Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will run the 2014 Asia Cross Country Rally, Hybrid Cars reports. The rally covers 1,367 miles of woods, swamps and mountains from Thailand to Cambodia.

Autoblog's guilty pleasure cars

Guilty pleasures are part of life – don't even try to pretend like you don't have one (or two, or six). In the non-automotive space, this could come down to that secret playlist in your iPhone of songs you'll only listen to when you're alone; or think of that one TV show you really do love, but won't admit to your friends. I've got plenty, and so do you. Going back to cars, here's a particularly juicy one for me: several years ago, I had a mad crush on the very last iteration of the Cadillac DTS. Oh yes, the front-wheel-drive, Northstar V8-powered sofa-on-wheels that was the last remaining shred of the elderly-swooning days of Cadillac's past. Every time I had the chance to drive one, I was secretly giddy. Don't hate me, okay? These days, the DTS is gone, but I've still got a mess of other cars that hold a special place in my heart. And in the spirit of camaraderie, I've asked my other Autoblog editors to tell me some of their guilty pleasure cars, as well – Seyth Miersma, as you can see above, has a few choice emotions to share about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Read on to find out what cars make us secretly happy. Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG This decadent convertible is the epitome of the guilty pleasure. It's big, powerful, fairly heavy and it's richly appointed inside and out. It's a chocolate eclair with the three-pointed star on the hood. Given my druthers, I'd take the SL65 AMG, which delivers 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That output is borderline absurd for this laid-back convertible. I don't care. You don't need dessert. Sometimes you just crave it. The SL line is about the feel you get on the road. The roof is open. The air, sun and engine sounds all embrace you. It's the same dynamic you could have experienced in a Mercedes a century ago, yet the SL gives you the most modern of luxuries. An Airscarf feature that warms my neck and shoulders through a vent embedded in the seat? Yes, please. Sure, it's an old-guy car. Mr. Burns and Lord Grantham are probably too young and hip for an SL65. I don't care. This is my guilty pleasure. Release the hounds. – Greg Migliore Senior Editor Ford Flex I drove my first Flex in 2009 when my mother let me borrow hers for the summer while I was away at college. The incredibly spacious interior made moving twice that summer a breeze, and the 200-mile trips up north were quite comfortable.