2001 Mitsubishi Montero Ltd 4wd Suv on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi mulling Mirage sedan for US [w/videos]

Mitsubishi is bringing the Mirage hatchback to the US this fall, carrying a price tag of $12,995, not including the $725 destination charge. Mitsunori Kitao, COO of Mitsubishi Motors Thailand Co., says that the Japanese automaker might consider releasing the sedan version of the Thailand-built compact - called the Attrage in Thailand and the Mirage G4 in the Phillipines - if the little hatchback takes off in the US market, Automotive News reports.
Weight is a key concern with importing the sedan. The non-US Mirage hatchback weighs just 1,900 pounds, but its naturally aspirated 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine makes just 79 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque, which can only manage a 0-62 miles-per-hour time of 11.2 seconds. The heavier sedan would take even longer.

WM Motors releases renderings based on Mitsubishi photos

An interesting gaffe has reared its head as WM Motors has published the first images depicting its new car portfolio. The renders showing Chinese electric vehicle startup's future cars appear to have been based on Mitsubishi Outlander press photos, as discovered by Electrek's Fred Lambert. It is one thing to show mere renders of future cars – that is certainly widely accepted, as the cars are planned to be launched in 2018 at the earliest – but it's the background that gives away how the renders are based on doctored Mitsubishi shots. Details are shared between the Outlander and WM Motors' rendering, with wheels, mirrors and doorhandles directly lifted off the Mitsu; in practice, the comparison shots become a pastime of "spot the similarities." The SUV is said to be designed by a former Bentley and Volkswagen designer, Sam Sun, but it is not yet clear whether he meant the production vehicle to share its decorative rear diffuser panel with a Mitsubishi. Perhaps these were work images never really meant for official publication, as they handily show the SUV's dimensions on the road. In addition to Electrek, Google seems to also be on the game, as a reverse image search on the VM Motor shots produces Mitsubishi suggestions. According to Car News China, which circulated the images, WM stands for either Weltmeister (world champion in German), or weima in Chinese, which means a powerful horse. The company is spearheaded by Freeman Shen, formerly of Geely, and the Suzhou factory is planned to produce 50,000 cars per year starting in 2018. There is talk of the cars featuring Huawei connectivity technology, with the hardware being produced together with the German companies Bosch and Siemens. Related Video: Featured Gallery VW Motor Mitsubishi News Source: Electrek Green Weird Car News Mitsubishi Green Automakers SUV Electric

Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question