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Junkyard Gem: 1989 Plymouth Colt E Hatchback

By the late 1960s, it had became clear to the suits at Detroit's Big Three that their companies needed to start selling subcompacts at home or risk losing large hunks of market share to the likes of Volkswagen and Toyota. Ford and GM developed the Pinto and Vega, but the much smaller Chrysler Corporation couldn't afford such an investment. Instead, the Chrysler Europe-built Hillman Avenger and Simca 1100 crossed the Atlantic and were given Plymouth Cricket and Simca 1204 badges, respectively, while ships full of Mitsubishi Colt Galants with Dodge badges headed east out of Japan. Those were Dodge Colts, sales of which began here in the 1971 model year. The Cricket and 1204 faded into well-deserved obscurity, but American car shoppers loved the Hemi-powered Colt. The Plymouth Division eventually got Colts of its own, and that's what we've got for today's Junkyard Gem. The US-market Colt jumped to the front-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Mirage for the 1979 model year, and that's when North American Plymouth dealerships (which had already been selling the Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste as the Arrow) got their own Mirages to sell. For 1979 through 1982, the Plymouth-badged Colt twin was known as the Champ, after which Chrysler decided that distinction just confused everybody. Then both Dodge and Plymouth (plus, starting in 1989, Eagle) offered near-identical Colts until just before the 1994 introduction of the Michigan-designed Neon. 1989 was the first model year for the more rounded sixth-generation Colt. By the time this car appeared in a showroom, Mitsubishi had been selling Mirages here for six years; this meant that American cars shoppers could choose among four mechanically-identical versions of the same car: the Dodge Colt, the Plymouth Colt, the Eagle Summit, and the Mitsubishi Mirage. All four versions had similar pricing, so it really came down to which badge you liked best and/or which company was offering the best rebates and financing deals at any given moment. The cheapest 1989 Plymouth Colt three-door hatch listed at $6,678 (about $16,340 in 2022 dollars), while the Dodge version cost… exactly the same amount. If you insisted on a sedan, however, you had to get the Summit or Mirage, because the Colt was available only in hatchback form for 1989. Meanwhile, Chrysler had been selling the Simca-derived Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon in the United States since the 1978 model year, with sales continuing all the way through 1990.

9,800-mile 2006 Mitsubishi Evo IX MR likely to set a record on Bring a Trailer

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution may be gone from the U.S. market, but it is not forgotten. And it's clear that for some fans, the passion for the rally-inspired Mitsu burns as brightly as ever. We saw that a delivery-miles example can crack the six-figure mark, when this 2006 Evo IX MR with 9 miles on the clock fetched just shy of $138k on eBay. Now, it looks like we're about to find out how high is up for a driven but still low-miles car — with 9,800 miles on the odometer — as this pristine 2006 Lancer Evolution IX MR on Bring a Trailer has already garnered bids of $35k with six days still to go. The BaT car is the same year and model as the $138k eBay example. It features the SE appearance package and is finished in Apex Silver Metallic. The MR trim level included an aluminum roof panel (with vortex generators at the trailing edge), HID headlamps, and auxiliary gauges, and aluminum trim inside. The SE appearance package featured a revised front spoiler, dark-finish BBS wheels, and red contrast stitching on the seats. The car, which is being sold by a dealer in Colorado Springs, appears to be unmodified. A 2006 Evo IX MR with 25,000 miles sold for $37,787 back in June on BaT, and a 2006 Evo IX SE with 4,000 miles brought $36,916 in October 2018. This car seems certain to smash those numbers. Featured Gallery 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX MR on BaT Mitsubishi Auctions Performance Classics Sedan

2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross refresh gives the crossover an Aztek-ectomy

As expected from spy shots, the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has received a styling refresh, and it changes the somewhat controversial rear end. It also brings some tweaks to the infotainment, and for markets outside the U.S. a plug-in hybrid. The big exterior changes are at the back. The Aztek-style split rear window is gone for a conventional single one. The taillights no longer bridge across the middle of the hatch. They do still extend up the rear pillars. The shape of the hatch looks a little different, too, and it helps reduce the stubby look of the Eclipse Cross's tail. From the front and sides, the new Eclipse Cross doesn't seem particularly different. But looking closer, you may notice that the upper lamps are slimmed down and given a steeper angle. They also appear to simply be daytime running lights, while the now larger lower lamps take over actual illumination duty. The main grille is also thinner. On the inside, the main change is to the infotainment system. The screen has grown to 8 inches over the old 7-inch system, and now features a new graphic interface and physical volume and tuning knobs. Not only that, it ditches the touch pad in the center console, opting instead for touchscreen interactions exclusively. To aid this, the screen also sits closer to the front occupants. Mechanically, U.S.-spec Eclipse Cross models are unchanged. They continue to get the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder making 152 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It's paired with a CVT and front- or all-wheel-drive. For other markets, Mitsubishi will introduce a plug-in hybrid variant. Details for that will come later, but won't be especially relevant for the U.S., as the company said it has no plans to bring it here. Considering the availability of the Outlander PHEV in America, this seems like an odd decision, but perhaps Outlander PHEV sales haven't been strong enough to merit another PHEV model. The redesigned Eclipse Cross will go on sale in the first quarter of 2021. Pricing has not been announced, but expect it to stay close to the current car's base price of $24,190. Related Video: