1991 Mitsubishi 3000gt Vr-4 Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi readying Outlander refresh

Mitsubishi has a big secret to keep under wraps when it comes to the looks of its refreshed Outlander crossover. Our spy shooters recently caught it testing in Germany, and the CUV had enough buckles, straps and snaps covering up the front end for the vehicle to fit in at an S&M party for cars. The rear was hidden just as thoroughly, too.
Given the areas that Mitsubishi's engineers are obscuring, it seems safe to assume that the Outlander is getting a heavily revised front end with redesigns for the grille, front bumper and possibly hood. The lights might be reshaped too, judging from these photos. The changes are just as hard to spot at the rear, but you can make out the shape of the taillights. They appear more rectangular than the current model, and the bumper looks more angular, as well.
This is likely our first glimpse of the of the major restyle for the Outlander that Mitsubishi execs told Autoblog about in July. The interior is also getting an update to improve interior material quality, we were told. The revisions are supposed to coincide with the launch of the PHEV model in the US at roughly the same time.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is fourth plug-in to reach 100,000 sales

After what seems like a lifetime of delays, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will finally arrive in this US in " late summer, early fall." What's taken so long? Well, Mitsubishi had to sell 100,000 of the big plug-in hybrids in Europe and Japan first, apparently. You could see the milestone coming, since sales have been strong in the markets where the Outlander PHEV was available, with around two-thirds of its sales coming from Europe, Hybrid Cars says. When we spoke with Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) earlier this year, he said that sales of around 200-400 Outlander PHEVS a month (10-20 percent of the Outlander's total US monthly sales) would be, " a very good number." Inside EVs says that the Okazaki Plant where the Outlander PHEV is made, " is running at full swing." As Hybrid Cars points out, the Outlander PHEV is only the fourth plug-in car ever to sell 100,000 units. The others are the Nissan Leaf (roughly 218,000 sales worldwide), the Tesla Model S (120,000), and the Chevy Volt (110,000). The next likely candidate to cross this threshold is the Prius Plug In – it has around 75,000 sales – if we count the upcoming Prius Prime updates as the same vehicle. Related Video:

Mitsubishi recalls 141,000 Lancers, Outlanders, and Outlander Sports

Mitsubishi issued two recalls this month, one big, one small, that affect several cars from the brand's past and current lineup. The major recall covers old Lancers, Lancer Sportbacks, Outlanders, and Outlander Sports that might have an issue with corrosion weakening the suspension. The second recall affects the current-generation Outlander and Outlander PHEV that have improperly built seat belt assemblies. NHTSA campaign No. 20V279000 states that Mitsubishi is recalling 141,200 2008-2010 Lancers, 2010 Lancer Sportbacks, 2008-2013 Outlanders, and 2011-2016 Outlander Sports due to the possibility that the front cross member on these vehicles might be damaged. If these vehicles encountered road salt, snowmelt water, and anti-freezing agents, the cross member could corrode. If the cross member corrodes, there is a slight possibility the front control arm could detach and create an extremely dangerous situation.  This recall only pertains to vehicles in the Salt Belt region, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C. Mitsubishi dealerships will inspect affected cars and make a judgment call from there. If the damage is minimal or non-existent, Mitsubishi will spray and seal the cross member with new anti-corrosion protection. If the cross member is damaged, Mitsubishi will replace it for free.  NHTSA campaign No. 20V280000 affects 3,238 2019-2020 Outlanders and 2019 Outlander PHEVs due to potentially faulty seat belts. On these vehicles the seat belts for the second-row passenger-side seat might have the wrong part. "Due to inappropriate manufacturing process at the supplier, the guide piece (which is a component part of the second-row seat belts’ anchorage) for the left side seat belt was mistakenly assembled with the right side seat belt, causing seat belt restraint efficiency for vehicle occupants to decrease in the vehicle collisions," a recall document states. Mitsubishi dealerships will inspect the seat belts in affected cars and replace them, if necessary. It is believed only 1% of the 3,238 vehicles have the defect. Visit the NHTSA for more information.