Coupe 2.4l Cd Front Wheel Drive Power Steering 4-wheel Disc Brakes Rear Spoiler on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Japan sends official to Lebanon over fugitive Carlos Ghosn

BEIRUT — Japan's deputy justice minister met top officials in Lebanon on Monday over the case of NissanÂ’s fugitive ex-boss, Carlos Ghosn, who fled to his home country late last year while on bail in Japan and awaiting trial. Ghosn was arrested in late 2018 and is facing charges of under-reporting income and breach of trust. He says he is innocent. He led Nissan for nearly 20 years. State Minister of Justice Hiroyuki Yoshiie (pictured above with Lebanese Justice Minister Marie Claude Najm) met President Michel Aoun as well as the Lebanese minister of foreign affairs. Yoshiie did not speak to reporters after the meetings and is scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day. Aoun's office said in a tweet after the meeting that they discussed mutual relations and ways of developing them "in addition to matters that are of interest for both countries." The tweet did not mention Ghosn, who made his first public appearance in Lebanon in early January saying he fled a “nightmare” that would not end and vowed to defend his name wherever he can get a fair trial. On Friday, Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori said she was dispatching the official to Beirut to explain the Japanese justice system and improve cooperation. She said Japan hoped Lebanon would gain “a proper understanding of the Japanese criminal justice system.” Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty, and it's unlikely Lebanon would agree to send Ghosn, considered a Lebanese national hero, back to Japan to face trial. Mori acknowledged that there were “various environments” and laws that underpin each country's stance. Nissan, maker of the Leaf electric car and Z sports car, said in a statement regarding the justice officialÂ’s trip that it hoped Ghosn would return to Japan to stand trial, “so that all the facts can be properly established under JapanÂ’s judicial system.” Having spent months in detention and struggling to gain his release on bail under stringent conditions, Ghosn said he fled in the belief he could not get a fair trial in Japan. Japan has requested GhosnÂ’s return through Interpol and issued an arrest warrant after his escape. Lebanese prosecutors issued a travel ban for Ghosn in January and asked him to hand in his French passport following the Interpol-issued notice against him. NissanÂ’s sales have plunged recently, and it sank into losses for the last fiscal quarter. The brand is widely considered to have been tarnished by the controversy around Ghosn.

Junkyard Gem: 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT coupe

2001 was an eventful year for sport compacts, with "The Fast and the Furious" hitting the big screen and the "spider eye" Acura Integra entering its final model year. Mitsubishi Motors North America had released a new version of the Eclipse the year before, bigger and more luxurious than its predecessors; today's Junkyard Gem is one of those third-generation Eclipses, the fastest and most furious version available in 2001: a GT coupe with V6 engine and five-speed manual transmission, found in a Colorado Springs boneyard recently. Named for a 17th-century racehorse, the Eclipse (not to be confused with the present-day Eclipse Cross) began life in the 1990 model year as a Galant-based liftback coupe built in partnership with Chrysler at the new Diamond-Star Motors plant in Normal, Illinois (where Rivians are born today). Chrysler sold its own versions of the Eclipse for a while, with the Plymouth Laser produced through 1994 and the Eagle Talon surviving until the Eagle brand's demise in 1998. By the time this car was built, its closest relatives were the Galant, the Chrysler Sebring coupe and the Dodge Stratus coupe. The MSRP for the GT Coupe was $20,947, or about $35,789 in 2023 dollars. You could get a brand-new Integra GS-R for $22,300 ($38,101 today) in 2001, while the Dodge Neon ACR listed at just $13,845 ($23,655 now). This car was quite a bit more powerful than the 170-horsepower Integra GS-R, with this 3.0-liter 6G72 V6 and its 210 horses under the hood. The workhorse 6G72 went into far too many Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Hyundai vehicles to list here; highlights include the Chrysler TC by Maserati, the Chrysler LeBaron, the Mitsubishi Montero/Dodge Raider, the Mitsubishi Diamante and the Mitsubishi 3000GT/Dodge Stealth. This car has the five-speed manual transmission, as is proper. Buyers who insisted on the four-speed automatic had to shell out an extra grand, or $1,709 after inflation. This car appears to have been in decent cosmetic condition when it arrived at its final parking spot. These stickers were mandatory equipment on Eclipses during the 2000s. Likewise with multiple-bolt-pattern aftermarket wheels. This generation of Eclipse stayed in production through 2004, with its successor continuing to be sold through 2012. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Drive Review: Slightly rough diamond

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the first small, affordable plug-in hybrid SUVs, yet it lost ground in recent years with the introduction of strong offerings from Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Kia. The main reason was that the regular Outlander wasn’t especially competitive, so once the PHEV finally had company, there was nowhere to go but down. Well, thereÂ’s an all-new and dramatically improved Outlander now, and finally, its plug-in hybrid version is here to make up that lost ground. Like the gas-only version, the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV impresses with a stylish, spacious and suitably modern interior, and generally comfortable and quiet demeanor. The plug-in hybrid goes significant further, though, with more power and refinement, plus a strong electric range. There are a couple weak points that keep it from being best-in-class (like the gas-only version), but depending on your needs, the Outlander PHEV could still be the green compact SUV for you. The Outlander PHEV has a powertrain that's extremely similar to its predecessor. A naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder now makes 134 horsepower rather than the previous model's 148 horsepower. While it can provide direct power to the wheels, itÂ’s most often employed as a motor generator for the front and rear electric motors (much as a Honda hybrid operates). Both of those motors are also more potent than before. The front motor picked up 20 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque to make 114 ponies and 188 lb-ft. The rear makes 40 more horsepower for 134, though torque remains the same at 144 pound-feet. The result is a grand total of 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That's more than the Ford Escape PHEV, and more torque than the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage plug-ins. The Toyota RAV4 Prime's 302 horsepower bests them all. In addition to more power, the Outlander PHEV can now go 38 miles on a charge –14 more than before thanks to a pack that has grown from 13.8 kilowatt-hours to 20 kWh. Once again, thatÂ’s more range than Ford, Hyundai and Kia, though less than the Toyota. Mitsubishi also offers an unusual feature not available on those competitors: DC fast charging. WeÂ’re not sure how necessary a DC fast charger is on a vehicle that can run on gas in a pinch, but if youÂ’d like a topped-up battery and donÂ’t want to wait overnight to get it from the plug in your garage, why not?