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Mitsubishi Mirage G4 Sedan in Montreal could mean US debut soon

The official word on the North American plans for the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 Sedan is that the Japanese company wants to ask Canadians what they think of the four-door, three-cylinder before deciding if the car will go on sale here. There are hints, though, that the plan is a bit more set in stone than Mitsubishi is letting on. Speaking with AutoGuide, Mitsubishi manager of product communications, Roger Yasukawa, said that, "We are considering making it into a North American car but are still working on the timing of the launch." If they're already figuring out timing, it sounds like this is a question of when, not if. The Mirage G4 is built in Thailand and is sold throughout Asia as the Attrage. It just made its North American debut at the 2014 Montreal Motor Show, a move that could preview a US debut as well, since that's how the Mirage hatchback was introduced. We were not all that impressed with the hatch, but sometimes you just want a highly efficient car for not a lot of money. The car does get 37 miles per gallon in the city and 44 mpg on the highway, all for $12,995, after all. We'll see what the news is when the New York Auto Show starts up in April. Mitsubishi Reveals Mirage G4 Sedan Consumer Feedback to Influence Launch Plans Montreal, Quebec (Jan. 16, 2014) – Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada (MMSCAN) will ask auto show visitors here and across Canada to offer opinions on the look, feel, cost and features of a new subcompact sedan before it gets the green-light for sale in Canada. The Mirage G4, Mitsubishi's Thailand-built four-door, three-cylinder sedan, will make its North American debut today at the 2014 Salon International de l'auto de Montreal. But company president and CEO, Kenichiro "Kenny" Yamamoto said its future availability in Canada will be based, in part, on consumer opinion. "Our plan is to showcase the Mirage G4 and gauge what Canadians think of it and what they expect from subcompact sedans in general," he said. "A solid business case for Mirage was confirmed by the successful 2013 launch of the Mirage hatchback model; with G4, we're indicating our intention to grow the Mirage line up in Canada." When it was launched last September, the 2014 Mirage hatchback became MMSCAN's first subcompact car. Since then, Mitsubishi dealerships have reported Mirage's top fuel economy, low entry price and leading warranty are resonating well with customers.

Final edition Mitsubishi Evo X arrives next June as 5MT GSR

Jalopnik recenly held an online Q&A session with Don Swearingen, an executive vice president at Mitsubishi Motors North America. If you're into Mitsu you should peruse the whole thread because questioners jumped all over the subject map, asking about getting the Delica here (not going to happen) and a new Montero (another concept presaging production is coming to the Chicago Auto Show next year), the company's fleet vehicle stance (they kill residuals, Mitsu isn't interested), and a Mirage racing series (right now it doesn't make sense). But for any enthusiast, every question not dealing with a new Lancer Evolution XI is merely a side dish. On that note, Swearingen took his turn ringing the death knell for the Evo series, saying "There are currently no plans for an Evo XI," which is kinder than his words at the LA Auto Show when he told Motor Trend, "Its time has come and gone." Nevertheless, he gave us a few more details on the final edition Evo Special Action Model that Automotive News reported on three months ago: it will be a GSR five-speed with "More horsepower, some suspension tuning, and some bits pieces that are still being finalized. Around 2,000 units will be available." Those of you hoping for a spiffier interior or a massive curb weight diet won't take much solace from that, but the 2,000 or so buyers who get to drive the hommage to The Once and Future King probably won't mind.

Weekly Recap: Toyota wants cars to be your 'close friends' around 2020

Toyota confirmed plans this week to launch autonomous technology in its production cars around 2020. The automaker's version is called Highway Teammate, and it's one element of a broader mobility strategy that includes vehicles communicating with each other and the grid. "Toyota believes that interactions between drivers and cars should mirror those between close friends who share a common purpose, sometimes watching over each other and sometimes helping each other out," the company said in a statement. That sounds utopian, and perhaps a bit cheesy, but it's an acknowledgment that autonomous driving requires more than technology developed in a vacuum. Toyota is looking at its research in a broader context, and dubs its overall strategy the Mobility Teammate Concept. Highway Teammate is the first step. Its test vehicle is a modified Lexus GS, which uses road-mapping data and external sensors to merge or exit highways, change lanes, and maintain safe distances during driving. It's operated on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo. Toyota has been working on autonomous tech since the 1990s, with the goal of providing mobility for older people and the disabled, as well as lowering the frequency of traffic accidents. Toyota's push comes as an early adopter, Nissan, is hedging on its own deadline to implement the autonomous tech by 2020 due to a lack of firm laws governing self-driving cars around the world. Conversely, Volvo took the landmark step of being the first automaker to accept liability for when its cars will operate in autonomous mode, and urged the US government to set federal guidelines to regulate the technology. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 BMW M4 GTS: Your water-injected, turbo-boosted demon BMW is unleashing its most powerful M4 ever, a 493-horsepower special edition that's road legal yet bred for the track. The company is making 700 copies for sale around the world, and 300 of them will come to the United States. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder revs to 7,600 rpm and uses a water-injection technology to cool the intake air and lower the compression temperature. BMW says this allows it to wring more power out of the inline six. The car also uses carbon-fiber reinforced plastic for the roof, hood, engine compartment strut brace, drive shaft, and rear spoiler to reduce weight. The M4 features BMW's organic light-emitting diode taillights, which are said to be an industry first.