Top in Automotive: Mitsubishi Outlander

Showing posts with label Mitsubishi Outlander. Show all posts

Mitsubishi Thinks it Can Fix U.S. Sales with New Outlander SUV and Mirage Hatch

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

With the U.S. car market growing 15 percent in November and 14 percent from the beginning of the year, you would expect a mainstream company like Mitsubishi to show at least some gains, but that's not the case.

In fact, the Japanese automaker posted sales of just 3,754 cars in November, down 4 percent from the same month last year, while from January through November, Mitsubishi's has seen its sales shrink by 28 percent to 53,677 cars.

To put it in perspective, Mitsubishi's yearly sales from all five models that remain in its range in the States (Lancer, Galant, Outlander, Outlander Sport and i-MiEV) are roughly a fourth of the Prius sales (216,619 units) and about the same as the number of ES sedans sold by Lexus (48,171) in the country.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

The safety gurus at the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), an independent organization that assesses and scores vehicle safety, have released a new round of scores for 15 new models, many of which were presented at the recent Paris Motor Show.

With one exception, the new Dacia Lodgy minivan that Euro NCAP said "budgets on safety" as it was rated with a mediocre three stars out of five, all other cars tested were awarded five stars.

Euro NCAP criticized the Renault Group's decision to not offer the electronic stability control (ESC) as standard equipment on the Lodgy, while also noting that the Dacia model scored poorly for pedestrian and child protection.

Friday, November 30, 2012

All the talk at Mitsubishi's LA Auto Show stand is the new 2014 Outlander, but the Japanese company had another unveiling in store, that of the 2013 Outlander Sport Limited Edition, designed to commemorate the brands arrival to American shores three decades ago. Read more »

2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sheds 200 Pounds, Gains Hybrid Variant

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The new Mitsubishi Outlander's world tour continues with its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Designed from the ground up to be offered with an advanced hybrid powerplant, the seven-seater 2014 Outlander also underwent an intensive diet losing around 200 pounds (91 kg) compared to the outgoing model.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The mystery that is the premieres of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show is slowly unraveling with Mitsubishi being the latest carmaker to reveal its plans ahead of the event's grand opening on November 28.

Taking center stage at the Japanese brand's booth will be the North American specification 2014 Outlander crossover, which will be displayed for the first time on this side of the Atlantic.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Nearly a year after Mitsubishi unveiled the concept car in Japan, the production version of the new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV (PHEV) has been unwrapped at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The PHEV will first go on sale in Japan early next year, followed shortly after by Europe, North America, and other regions around the world.

Mitsubishi says the new generation of the Outlander was developed from the beginning to be offered with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The 2013 model year version of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has arrived in the States with prices starting from $19,170, excluding a destination and handling fee of $825 (Alaska/Hawaii $950), an increase of $375 over the outgoing model.

The biggest news about the 2013 Outlander Sport is that production has shifted to the U.S. and Mitsubishi's manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Following the world premiere of the gasoline- and diesel-powered versions of the all-new Outlander at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, Mitsubishi today announced that it will roll out a Plug-in Hybrid EV model of its crossover at the forthcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show this September.

The new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV (or PHEV) will share its architecture with the soon-to-be-launched Outlander’s Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) versions.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

This is the refreshed 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which those of you outside States will know it as the ASX or RVR, depending on your location, and it makes its world debut at this week's New York Auto Show.

While the 2013 model brings some design and feature improvements, the most important news about the updated Outlander Sport is that beginning in July, it will be built the United States at the company’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois.

Mitsubishi said that the factory will not only supply cars to dealers in the States, but in foreign markets as well, without providing further details.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

It's only been on the market since spring of 2010, but Mitsubishi feels that it's time for its Outlander Sport, which some of our readers will know as the ASX and RVR, to receive a mid-life facelift.

The Japanese automaker revealed on Wednesday that the refreshed 2013 Outlander Sport will break cover at the New York International Auto Show on April 4.

Even though we don't get any photos of the 2013 Outlander Sport (what you see here is the current, 2012 model), Mitsubishi outlined the most important changes for its compact crossover.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Two generations and close to a million sales after the introduction of the first Outlander in 2001, Mitsubishi today presented the all-new third iteration of its crossover model at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show.

The shape and styling of the new Outlander won’t come as a surprise to anyone that has been following the news as it was previewed by the Concept PX-MiEV at last December's Tokyo Motor Show.

In fact, there are very little differences between the two cars, mainly the softer front end and certain production bits such as the exterior mirrors. Mitsubishi itself describe the new Outlander's exterior as "solid, safe and simple".

The interior has the same understated / bland styling as the exterior with Mitsubishi promising high-grade materials with padded surfaces and soft-touch plastics. Like the second gen Outlander, the new model will continue to carry five or seven people.

At 4,655mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,680mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,670mm, the new Outlander is identical in size to the current car in all dimensions.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Just a little over two months after Mitsubishi teased the new Outlander with the second iteration of its Concept PX-MiEV at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, the Japanese company lifted the wraps off the production model that will make its world premiere at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Even though we only get a single picture from Mitsubishi, it's easy to see that the all-new Outlander is almost a carbon copy of the PX-MiEV II right down to the design of the alloy wheels.

This doesn't mean that there aren't differences over the study but that they are limited to details such as the conventional headlamp units, exterior mirrors and door handles while Mitsubishi also added a pair of fog lamps up front.

Monday, February 6, 2012

The current economic climate being what it is in Europe, it’s no surprise that most car manufacturers see demand for their products waning. Mitsubishi is one of them, with its European sales dropping from 340,000 in 2007 to 218,000 units last year.

The Japanese manufacturer's only European assembly plant is the NedCar factory in the Netherlands. It was established in 1991 as a joint venture between Mitsubishi, Volvo and the Dutch government. It produced the Carisma and S40/V40 and, subsequently, the Space Star.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March will host the world premiere of an all-new Mitsubishi model and this is the first official teaser image.

The Japanese automaker does not name the model but it describes it as a "strategic and innovative premium vehicle will reflect a gradual transformation in Mitsubishi’s design language," adding that it will go on sale globally this year.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

According to a report from Japan's Nikkei business daily, Mitsubishi is developing a pure-electric light truck that will be launched onto the market in the second quarter of 2013.

Mitsubishi has been one of the first carmakers to enter the EV market with its iMieV, an all-electric city car that like the Outlander SUV has also spawned PSA Peugeot Citroen variants.

Speaking of the Outlander, the report states that a plug-in hybrid version of Mitsubishi’s crossover will also hit the market at the same time as the electric truck.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

While there's not much going on in the product front for Mitsubishi, the Japanese automaker continues the development of new powertrains and their related technologies.

Today, Mitsubishi released the first details on its next generation 1.8-liter gasoline engine codenamed "4J10" that incorporates a new version of the company's MIVEC variable valve timing system as well as the introductions of a new Auto Stop & Go (AS&G) idle-stop technology.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko today announced that the automaker will kill most of its current lineup of U.S.-made vehicles by 2014, as part of the company's “Jump 2013” mid-term business plan. The decision affects the Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder sports cars, Endeavor crossover and Galant sedan, which are going to be replaced with global vehicles built at the manufacturer’s Illinois plant. The Outlander crossover, Outlander Sport small crossover and Lancer sedan will provide the underpinnings for the new models.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

In what could be one of the most subtle proposals to come out of the DAMD tuning shop yet, the Japanese aftermarket company presented a rather tasty styling kit for the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which as you probably already know, is called ASX in Europe and RVR in Japan.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Following the limited release of the special edition Outlander Juro in July, Mitsubishi UK has announced details and pricing on the series production version of the facelifted SUV. On sale now, the 2011 Outlander with the Evo-like snout is offered with two turbo diesel engines, a new Mitsubishi-developed 175HP 2.2 Di-D matched to a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 154HP 2.2 Di-D turbo diesel SST PSA unit combined with a twin clutch automated manual transmission.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Clearly taking its inspiration from those throwaway iPhone / iPod games loved so much by Volkswagen and its subsidiaries, the North American arm of Mitsubishi Motors will let a select few test drive the new Outlander Sport compact [called ASX in Europe] remotely through "Mitsubishi Live Drive".

In a world first, customers will be able to take the compact crossover around a closed circuit course, controlling the actually vehicle through an "interactive remote control" from the comfort of their own internet-connected PCs. I wonder what a "non-interactive remote control" would be...

When developing the Live Drive experience, Mitsubishi consulted robotics expert, Dr. James Brighton who was instrumental in constructing the online test drive program