2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Coupe 2-door 2.4l No Resurve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Mitsubishi GT-PHEV Concept offers an unsightly look into the automaker's future

It was only a few months ago that Mitsubishi teased the Grand Tourer Concept with an image of the SUV's side profile. Now that it's just a few weeks before the Paris Motor Show, Mitsubishi released some renderings of the GT-PHEV Concept that will influence the rest of the automaker's lineup for the future. Mitsubishi is touting the concept as a "high-end next-generation SUV." Styling may indeed be subjective, but the GT-PHEV Concept has a face that only a mother could love. There's a bit of Lexus-like hate-it-or-like-it in the fascia, and the rest of it looks similar to that of the eX Concept that was revealed last year. Both concepts have grille openings that resemble the letter X, three hexagonal fog lights on the sides, and tiny slivers for headlights. The side profile of the GT-PHEV Concept reminds us of a Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, which isn't such a bad thing. The back of the concept features a rakish design with thin wrap-around taillights that also look good. If you can get past the SUV's looks, you'll find comfort the GT-PHEV's powertrain to be an interesting look into the future. The concept features Mitsubishi's next-gen plug-in hybrid system, which is comprised of three electric motors (one in the front and two at the back), a regular internal combustion engine, and a high-capacity battery. The systems work together as a full-time four-wheel-drive system. On electric-only power, the GT-PHEV Concept can travel an estimated 75 miles, while the car's total range is roughly 746 miles. Mitsubishi claims the GT-PHEV Concept is a ground tourer capable of chewing away the miles with ease. And while the automaker didn't include any images of the vehicle's interior, Mitsubishi claims the concept has a cockpit-like interior that wraps around the front passengers. The interior leather color can also be found on the roof of the vehicle for a "classy" look. Mitsubishi continues to focus on SUVs and crossovers, but we doubt the automaker will put a vehicle that looks like the GT-PHEV Concept on the road. We think this concept is more for show, but it will probably be used as inspiration for the design of the next Mitsubishi Outlander. Here's hoping that face gets toned down some.

Mitsubishi had a shockingly good year in the U.S., and here's why

The year 2017 was a very good one for Mitsubishi in the United States. For the first time since 2007, the company sold more than 100,000 cars and crossovers here. Most of the credit goes to the Outlander, which sold just over 8,700 more examples this year than in 2016 for a total of 35,310. It was also the overall bestseller for the company in America. Its slightly smaller cousin, the Outlander Sport, was the second-best with 33,160 units, a number that barely changed from 2016. Also interesting to note is that each of Mitsubishi's crossovers roughly equaled the total number of traditional car sales, which include the last Lancers, Evos and i-MiEVs, as well as the Mirage hatch and Mirage G4 sedan. The Lancer actually did all right considering it was phased out in the middle of last year, selling over 12,000 units, almost as many as in 2016. Mirage hatchback sales dropped quite significantly at just over 6,000, but Mirage G4 sedan sales increased by roughly the same amount. Considering the weaker car sales, Mitsubishi has probably made the right decision to focus on expanding its crossover line with the all-new Eclipse Cross launching this year, and the newly available Outlander PHEV. This milestone also marks Mitsubishi's slow and steady gains lately. According to the company, this is the fifth year of increased sales in the U.S. And on a global scale, the company saw gains, too. Its sales topped 1 million worldwide compared with 934,000 in 2016. In China sales were up over 50 percent, and it also saw sales increases in the Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, and many countries in southeast Asia. So it seems Mitsubishi is making a nice little turnaround for itself. Related Video:

Japanese government chides Mitsubishi over recall delays

An official with the transport ministry in Japan has some stern words for Mitsubishi, taking the carmaker to task for not being more proactive and honest about its recalls. An investigation into The Tri-Star last December found Mitsubishi was tardy investigating problems and didn't explain itself forthrightly to the transport ministry about the issues. None of Mitsubishi's actions were illegal, and we should stress that this is a dialogue with Mitsubishi in Japan, not Mitsubishi Motors North America.
The official advised the automaker to, "Come up with plans for improvement, implement them and report them to the ministry." It looks like the company will get more practice than it wants in that department, having to announce another recall for the Outlander PHEV over software and hardware glitches. Those recalls come just after Mitsu finally figured out the problem with overheating lithium-ion batteries that caused a production halt of the plug-in hybrid SUV.