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Mitsubishi looks to crossovers and EVs for US success

Say what you will about Mitsubishi, but the Japanese automaker is slowly seeing a resurgence here in the United States. December 2015 marked the company's twenty-second consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases, and looking at last year as a whole, Mitsubishi's sales were up 23 percent over 2014. Ken Konieczka, Mitsubishi's vice president of sales operations, says that in order to stay successful, the company will bet big on crossovers and electric vehicles in the coming years. And that means a relatively aggressive product plan here in the US. First up, a brand-new CUV will launch in early 2018, previewed by the eX Concept that debuted at last year's Tokyo Motor Show (pictured). Konieczka says Mitsubishi is making room for this new crossover in its lineup – the Outlander will slowly get bigger, and the Outlander Sport will get smaller. The production version of the eX will slot between those two. Speaking of the Outlander siblings, both will be replaced in the next five years. A new, larger Outlander will arrive in 2019, and the smaller Outlander Sport will arrive in 2020. To fulfill the electric side of the business, Konieczka confirms the next Outlander Sport will sprout an EV variant, and the Outlander plug-in hybrid will launch in the United States later in 2016, as a 2017 model. As for the rest of the company's portfolio, Mitsubishi will offer the updated Mirage hatchback and new G4 sedan later this year. The future for the Lancer, however, looks grim. Konieczka says Mitsubishi still can't find an OEM partner to help create and produce a new Lancer, and our gut says the compact sedan will be phased out in the very near future. "We made a lot of mistakes," Konieczka admits, saying Mitsubishi was "spread too thin [and] had too many models" in the past. This new, more focused approach on EVs and crossovers certainly sounds promising, and will hopefully help Mitsubishi continue its slow growth here in the US market. Still, we won't know for sure until the new products actually reach showrooms. But for now, at least, things are steadily on the rise.

Mitsubishi recalling i-MiEV models for brake problem

Mitsubishi is issuing a recall for the 2010-2014 i-MiEV that affects 1,810 units of the little electric car, because it's possible for the brake vacuum pump to stop working. If this happens, the result would be longer stopping distances, according to the company. The affected models were built between September 15, 2009, and March 25, 2014.
While this is just a single recall, there are actually two things that can cause this brake problem on the i-MiEV, according to Mitsubishi's filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. First, bad programming in the EV-ECU could cause the system to "falsely judge that the relay contact point is stuck," according to the full NHTSA defect notice PDF. Second, the vacuum pump exhaust hole could be corroded and blocked due to being splashed with road salt. However, the company says that if either fault happens, the brake warning lamp would illuminate, and there would be an audible alarm.
Depending on which issue is affecting an owner's i-MiEV, Mitsubishi is going to reprogram the software, replace the pump or both. Scroll down to read the recall report from NHTSA.

Swarm of bees descends on man's Mitsubishi

A man in Wales got quite a shock when he returned to his car only to find it covered in bees. According to the South Wales Evening Post, an unnamed driver parked Mitsubishi Outlander in front of the Three Crowns Pub in Haverfordwest, a city in Pembrokesire, Southwest Wales. When he returned, he discovered a large swarm of honeybees had come to roost on the rear of the car. Thankfully, before anyone could disturb the bees, a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ranger named Tom Moses came across the scene. "It was spectacular, I was driving through when I sported the big brown splodge," Moses told the Evening Post. "A lot of people were really amazed by it, cars were slowing down and people were taking pictures of it." The bees were swarming the car after their queen became lodged in the trunk, according to the Guardian. Moses has an interest in bees and often speaks to people about the ways in which bees are threatened by pesticides and habitat destruction. "At the national park, we like people to be aware of how important bees are and how people should be looking after them," Moses told the paper. The ranger contacted the Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association and two members came out to collect the swarm. "I was a little bit concerned, with it being in the middle of town outside a pub, that someone might do something stupid and get hurt or do something stupid and hurt the bees," Moses said. His concern is valid. It's a very bad idea to tangle with stinging insects when you don't know what you're doing. Bees swarm to protect their queen, and are liable to swarm anything they see as a threat. If you ever find yourself in this unlikely scenario, call a professional beekeeper who can safely remove the hive. Avoid hiring an exterminator though. Bee populations have a hard enough time as it is. Honeybee die-offs and disappearances have been on the rise since 2006. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one of the primary culprits is Colony Collapse Disorder, which happens when all adult workers in a hive disappear leaving only immature bees and a queen behind. Related Video: