1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse Rs Hatchback 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget

We rarely hear any major news coming out of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, but Mitsubishi executives found this a fitting place to announce a big push for increased advertising here in the US. A report in Automotive News states that the struggling Japanese automaker is returning to advertising in prime time television for the first time since 2005, with the push slated to begin in June and July for the launch of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander shown above.
Despite dwindling sales and a shrinking lineup, Mitsubishi's new North American chairman, Gayu Uesugi, has said on multiple occasions that the automaker has no plans to abandon the US market. Spending extra money on marketing and advertising should be a good start to help improve sales, but a lack of fresh and competitive products is also keeping showrooms empty. Aside from the new Outlander, the AN report says that Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa said that a "yet-to-be-named subcompact" will arrive this year, which suggests the unnamed hatchback shown below (known elsewhere as the Mirage), could be heading to the US after its North American introduction at the Montreal Auto Show last month.

Mitsubishi's first US chairman since 2007 charged with revitalizing brand

Have a look at Mitsubishi North America's vehicle page and you'll find seven cars in four model lines: i-MiEV electric hatch, Lancer sedan, Lancer Evolution and Sportback, Outlander and Outlander Sport, and Galant sedan. The Galant has 3.9 tires in the automotive grave, and the only hope for mainstream excitement, the Eclipse coupe and Spyder, had hemlock poured down their crankcases last year. Increasing the quotient of bleak, the Lancer isn't due for a refresh until 2014, the coming Outlander PHEV will sell in miniscule numbers when it does arrive, a little sports car has been nixed and the only other Mitsu being considered for our landmass is the Colt, which, for its stellar fuel economy numbers, looks like a car designed by Pikachu. There's also that matter of declining NA market share in a rising overall market, Mitsubishi's piece of the total pie currently hovering around the 0.4-percent mark according to Automotive News.
The company has decided to do more about it, reassigning Executive Vice President and Head Officer of the Headquarters Product Projects & Strategy Group Gayu Uesugi to be the new chairman of Mitsubishi Motors North America. It will be the first time in five years that someone has filled the chairman position at MMNA.
The hope is that with Uesugi's 35 years with the company, his experience in the company's global product plan and his success in emerging market strategy, he's the man to "[develop] a product plan and growth strategy for the US market" that will put things right. Or at least better. He will work with Yoichi Yokozawa, who has been CEO of MMNA since last year. There are more details on the move in the press release below.

Recharge Wrap-up: vehicle electrification future, Indonesia biodiesel growth

Navigant Research expects electrified vehicles (including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles) to reach 6 million sales in 2024. That's up from 2.6 million sales in 2015. About half of those sales will be plug-in vehicles in 2024, up from 19 percent in 2015. To make its predictions, Navigant took into account automaker strategies, concept vehicles, regulations and incentives, electricity and oil prices, and charging infrastructure expectations over the 10-year timetable. Navigant also says that despite the massive changes in the last five years, the next five years will be "even more impactful to the global automotive and energy industries." Read more from Navigant Research, or at Green Car Congress. Indonesia's biodiesel consumption is expected to rise dramatically over the next year. While the nation used 291 to 317 million gallons in 2015, consumption levels for 2016 could surpass 2 billion gallons, depending on blending regulation enforcement. Indonesia raised the minimum biodiesel content in diesel fuel from 10 to 15 percent in 2015 while increasing biofuel subsidies. It will raise the blend minimum to 20 percent for 2016, and plans to increase it to 30 percent in 2020. Read more at Business Recorder. Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman, has awarded the title of Plug-In Vehicle of the Year to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The paper praised the car for its ability to live up to its "ecocredentials," as well as its all-around practicality. During its long-term test, Scotsman staff enjoyed using the 32.5 miles of electric driving range to commute to and from work. The Scotsman's Steven Chisholm called the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, "an exciting prospect for anyone looking for an SUV that's easy on the wallet as well as the environment." Read more at Inside EVs. Featured Gallery Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S: Paris 2014 View 12 Photos News Source: Navigant Research, Green Car Congress, Business Recorder, Inside EVsImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Government/Legal Green Mitsubishi Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Electric recharge wrapup