2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Oz Rally Edition on 2040-cars

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Nissan posts $6.2 billion annual loss and unveils plan to cut costs

TOKYO — Nissan outlined a new plan on Thursday to become a smaller, more cost-efficient carmaker after the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated a slide in profitability that culminated in its first annual loss in 11 years. Under a new four-year plan, the Japanese manufacturer will slash its production capacity and model range by about a fifth to help cut 300 billion yen from fixed costs. It will shut plants in Spain and Indonesia, leave the South Korean market and pull its Datsun brand from Russia as part of a strategy unveiled on Wednesday to share production globally with its partners Renault and Mitsubishi. "I will make every effort to return Nissan to a growth path," Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said, adding that the company had learned from its past mistakes of chasing global market share at all costs. "We must admit failures and take corrective actions," he said, adding that starting with top-level managers, the company had to break its inward-looking culture which in the past has stymied efforts to deepen cooperation with France's Renault. Uchida said improving the company's cash flow was its biggest challenge. He reiterated that Nissan's cash liquidity was good even though it had negative free cash flow of 641 billion yen in the year ended in March. Nissan declined to give any forecasts for its current financial year which started in April due to the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic. It also declined to give details on how many jobs it was cutting. In what is Nissan's second recovery plan in less than a year, Uchida pledged a return to profitability with a core operating profit margin above 5% and a sustainable global market share of 6%. Nissan posted an annual operating loss of 40.5 billion yen for the year to March 31, its worst performance since 2008/09. Its operating profit margin was -0.4%. The automaker said on Thursday that it sold 4.9 million vehicles last year, up from an earlier estimate of 4.8 million. That was still the second decline in a row and a fall of 11% from the previous period but meant Nissan clung on to its position as Japan's second biggest carmaker, just ahead of Honda and a long way behind Toyota. Pandemic pressure Even before the spread of the novel coronavirus, Nissan's slumping profits had forced it to row back on an aggressive expansion plan pursued by ousted leader Carlos Ghosn. The pandemic has only piled on the urgency to downsize.

Mitsubishi wants to bring a plug-in hybrid Montero to the US

As Mitsubishi's turnaround takes hold, we can talk less about the company's survival in the US market and more about what kinds of products we might see in the future: there's a hybrid Evo on the way and its joint venture with Renault-Nissan will deliver a C-segment sedan. Furthermore, it might even deliver a dividend to its shareholders next year.
In addition to Mitsubishi announcing its intent to focus on SUVs, pickup trucks and crossovers, company president Osamu Masuko gave an interview to Automotive News saying that the plan is for model lines to have two or three power train options: gas, plug-in hybrid, diesel. Believing that fuel economy standards will force the expansion of the plug-in hybrid market, Masuko wants to bring a PHEV Pajero to the US (the Montero in our market) because it will restore the brand's place in the full-size SUV segment with a well known nameplate, and help the company reach its goal of making PHEVs 20 percent of its product offering.
We love the idea of a new Montero - and we hope there's a traditional gas model that would come with the PHEV - the question is what would it look like? The Concept GC-PHEV we saw at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show could offer clues, but with Masuko listing the SUV as the company's second most popular model behind pickups, how daring could designers get with it? On the other hand, if you compare the Concept PX-MiEV shown at Tokyo in 2011, the similarity to the production Outlander is more than one might expect for a crossover that's become a major seller for the brand. With an introduction due in 2015 or 2016, we shouldn't have to wait long to find out. Regrettably, there's still no word on the return of a Mitsubishi pickup truck.

2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Road Test Review | Improved but falling behind

You can’t tell by looking at it, but the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a thoroughly upgraded version of the plug-in crossover that initially debuted in the United States for the 2018 model year. Yes, despite the fact that there is a completely new, from-the-ground-up version of the gas-only Outlander for 2022, the previous generation soldiers on in its plug-in hybrid form for at least the next couple of model years as the engineering team puts the finishing touches on an edition based on the new platform. Still, thereÂ’s a lot of new bits and pieces under the skin that make this a better and more useful electrified SUV than before. A new 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine replaces the previous 2.0-liter, bumping power to 126 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. It join forces with upgraded electric motors to send as much as 221 hp to all four wheels. That's a 31-horsepower increase over the old Outlander PHEV.  Most of the time, the gasoline engine sends its power to the battery pack, leaving motive force to come from the two electric motors. Up front is a motor that delivers 60 kilowatts (around 80 hp) and 101 lb-ft; at the rear is a second motor that spins out 70 kilowatts (94 hp) and 144 lb-ft. That rear motor is up 10 kilowatts over the old version, which is significant. Electric range is boosted from 22 to 24 miles thanks to a 13.8-kWh battery in place of the old 12-kWh pack. These powertrain enhancements make the 2021 Outlander PHEV feel quicker around town than the old one while simultaneously improving its efficiency. Win/win. There are Eco, Save, Charge, Normal, and Sport driving modes, and they all make sense with the possible exception of Sport, since this is very much not a sporty sport utility vehicle. Save mode preserves the battery packÂ’s current state of charge in case you want to choose when to unleash your electrons (stop-and-go city driving after a lengthy highway commute, for instance), and Charge mode keeps the engine running to top off the battery pack while the vehicle is driven. We mostly left the vehicle in Normal mode and let it choose how to dole out the power. The overlying theme of the 2021 Outlander PHEV is one of peace and serenity. ItÂ’s quiet inside, and the electric motors provide a smooth driving experience with softish initial power that gains steam as the vehicle gets to normal around-town speeds. There arenÂ’t any gear changes, so the powertrain always feels smooth.