1992 Mitsubishi 3000gt Sl 5spd Coupe 2-door Red/black Interior on 2040-cars

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Japanese automakers welcome North American trade deal, fear what's next

TOKYO — Toyota, Nissan and Mazda welcomed on Tuesday the revised North America trade deal that left Japanese automakers unscathed, but they may face a bumpy ride when Washington and Tokyo hold new talks on over $40 billion of annual U.S. auto imports from Japan. The United States and Canada reached an agreement on Sunday to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement after Washington had forged a separate trade deal with Mexico in August. The updated deal effectively maintains the auto industry's current footprint in North America, and spares Canada and Mexico from the prospect of U.S. national security tariffs on their vehicles. Mazda, which ships cars to the United States from Mexico and Japan, called the deal a "big step forward". Nissan, which makes the cars it sells in the United States locally as well as in Mexico, Japan and other countries, said it was "encouraged" by the agreement. Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, said it was "pleased" that a basic deal was reached. Other automakers were not immediately available for comment. While the deal has removed the risk that the disintegration of the pact would have posed to automakers, bigger risks loom large for Japanese firms as a chunk of the roughly 7 million cars they sold in the U.S. last year were shipped from Japan, and a trade deal between Washington and Tokyo has yet to be agreed. The United States and Japan last week agreed to begin fresh trade talks, with U.S. President Donald Trump seeking to address Japan's $69 billion trade surplus, of which nearly two-thirds comes from auto exports. Washington is also investigating the possibility of slapping 25 percent tariffs on auto imports on national security grounds, although it has agreed with Japan to put any new tariffs on hold during the talks. Analysts say the United States may take a tougher stance on auto imports from Japan than from its neighbors. "If Japan requests an exemption from the 25 percent tariffs under consideration, Washington could propose a more strict cap on imports than it agreed to with Mexico and Canada," said Koji Endo, senior analyst at SBI Securities. "That would be a risk." This could be a big blow to Japan, as the United States is a key source of revenue for Japanese automakers including Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The U.S. market accounts for a quarter or more of their annual global vehicle sales, and of their total U.S.

Mitsubishi shows five concepts headed to the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon

Mitsubishi will storm the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon with seven concepts, five based on production models getting early previews. This year's haul more than doubles the trio of concepts Mitsubishi took to this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, and it's obvious the company put more effort into all of them as well. The wildest among the five could be the Delica D:5 imagined by Japanese director, producer and writer Teruo Ito. With the idea to rework the Delica into the idea of embodying charm "like a dog or a member of a family," Ito threw out the van's rectangular headlights, working with Mitsubishi designers to replace them with large round units inset like eyes. The anthropomorphic face is so important that the concept is apparently called the "D:5 eye," according to Google Translate. The van wears a "light army green" hue from its roof to its MLJ Daytona wheels, the interior done up in a olive tartan pattern.   Right behind it in the "Look at me!" stakes is the eK Cross Wild Beast Concept, a contrast to the "Cute Beast" that is the standard eK kei car. Drenched in yellow, with gray X graphics, a contrasting black roof and tailgate, black cladding, mud flaps, chunky rocker panels, roof rack and basket, and all-terrain tires, this one is meant to evoke a "playful outdoor image." In case the striking livery doesn't convey the message, the command to "Play the Nature" appears on the hood, roof rack and fuel filler cap. Inside, all-weather floor mats and a load bay mat stand ready to protect the interior from mud. Or Play-Doh. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV NERV is the widest combination of real and imaginary usefulness. Re: the latter, NERV is the fictional Japanese paramilitary organization that battles creatures called Angels in the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" anime. Warfare between the Evangelion units and the Angels tends to destroy a lot of animated real estate, hence the usefulness of a disaster relief vehicle like the Outlander PHEV, coordinated by the Gehirun Corporation that's also in the anime. For real-world service, designers installed a KYMETA u7 planar satellite antenna that can pick up signals from Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation — a Japanese-based satellite television and Internet company, and the Asia-focused Michibiki emergency broadcast and GPS service.

L200 Absolute Concept is the off-road truck we want from Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi took the wraps off a concept off-road truck called the L200 Absolute at the Bangkok International Motor Show, and we completely approve. The truck isn't just a normal L200 with an appearance package. No, Mitsubishi went in and modified the suspension, added a ton of body cladding and even some carbon fiber. We don't think about Mitsubishi as much ever since the Evo was discontinued here, but this truck provides a bit of hope that one day the Japanese brand could be cool again in America. To begin, Mitsubishi widened the truck's track to make room for the beefy Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires wrapping the black off-road wheels. Then the suspension was modified to give the truck a two-inch lift — it was also given a new shock and spring setup for off-road use, providing more suspension travel. Sadly, Mitsubishi does not say more about it, but we're happy that this truck will be much more capable when the trails get rough. Large and obvious red-accented skid plates are placed in the front and rear to offer some stylish protection. Then check out all the carbon fiber parts on this truck. Mitsubishi uses the material on the tailgate and fender flares. This is not the norm for trucks, nor is it typical of Mitsubishi as of late, but we're totally for it. A big LED lighting package is the last bit that is largely different from the normal L200/Triton pickup truck made in Thailand. We'll hand it to Mitsubishi for this one. The "Absolute" name is even an improvement over the last off-road concept it made called the Engelberg Tourer. Midsize trucks are hot now. This truck in production form could definitely raise some eyebrows in the U.S. with its off-road nature similar to the Colorado ZR2 and Jeep Gladiator. We definitely need something to get excited about Mitsubishi again, especially now with the Evo long in the rearview mirror.