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Junkyard Gem: 2006 Mitsubishi Raider

When I'm scouring the rows of a big, fast-inventory-turnover vehicle boneyard for fascinating examples of automotive history, I keep strange examples of badge engineering at the top of my shopping list. Subarus with Saab emblems, Isuzus with Acura emblems, Hyundais with Mitsubishi emblems, Austins with Nash emblems, Mazdas with Mercury emblems, all the vehicles that sprang into existence because Carmaker A wanted to fill a vacant slot in the showrooms and Carmaker B proved willing to offer a vehicle that fit that slot. While I have yet to unearth a discarded Suzuki Equator pickup, I've found this truck with a far more convoluted model-name history: a 2006 Mitsubishi Raider in Phoenix. Chrysler sold rebadged Mitsubishis over here for decades, beginning with the Dodge Colt in the 1971 model year. Trucks joined the mix in the middle 1970s, with the Plymouth Arrow and then the Dodge D-50/Ram 50 pickups. The Dodge-ized Mitsubishi pickups soon faced competition from their Mitsubishi-badged twins, in the form of the Mighty Max, and then Chrysler began selling first-generation Mitsubishi Monteros with Dodge badging. That truck became the Dodge Raider, available with "Imported for Dodge" emblems in North America for the 1987 through 1989 model years. Raider owners loved their tough little SUVs every bit as much as Montero owners loved theirs, and so the Raider name continued — decades later — to have positive connotations in the world of Dodge and Mitsubishi truck owners. So, when the American outpost of the Mitsubishi Empire needed a pickup to offer in their showrooms (the Mighty Max having been axed in 1996), they turned to their friends at Chrysler and the Dodge Dakota pickup. With some new bodywork and tough-looking Raider badges, the Dodge/Mitsubishi Raider circle had been closed. Raider sales began in 2005 for the 2006 model year. Sales numbers proved disappointing, and 2009 was the last year for the Raider. This one got crashed hard, then picked over for mechanical goodies by Dakota owners. You won't find many pickups this new with manual transmissions, but this one had one. The engine is long gone, but would have been an American Motors-developed 4.7-liter V8 or 3.7-liter V6. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. With Dodge going murderously macho with their ads last decade, Mitsubishi had no choice but to follow that formula with the Raider. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota FCV ready for production, Nissan tests Leaf-to-Home energy management

Toyota will begin selling its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in Japan in December. The US and Europe can expect to see the car become available next summer. The FCV, which will likely be called "Mirai" (meaning "future") in Japan, is ready for production ahead of its initial deadline at the end of the fiscal year in March. Toyota planned for annual production of 700 units, but might increase output to meet higher-than-expected demand, which is currently nearing 1,000 units. The cars will mostly be sold in the four cities where a hydrogen fueling infrastructure is already being put in place: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. Read more at Nikkei Asian Review. Nissan is testing the Leaf EV as part of an energy management system including "Leaf to Home" technology. The system allows the Leaf to help support the power grid during peak energy usage, or provide backup power to a home or building during outages, particularly in emergencies like natural disasters. Using the Leaf's battery to provide electricity during peak hours would lessen the demand on the grid and make the system work more efficiently. Furthermore, if consumers are compensated for the energy saved by using the Leaf for power during periods of high demand, it could encourage more people to adopt the EV. Learn more in the press release below. CDP has given Honda a perfect climate disclosure score in its Global 500 Climate Change Report for 2014. CDP keeps track of how much companies are disclosing about their impact on global climate change. "The need for data on corporate climate change impacts and strategies to reduce them has never been greater," says CDP CEO Paul Simpson. "For this reason we congratulate those businesses that have achieved a position on CDP's Climate Disclosure Leadership Index." Other perfect scores were earned by Nissan, BMW, Daimler and General Motors. Read more in the press release from Honda below. Scientists at Stanford University have developed a lithium ion battery that can warn users before it overheats. A thin layer of copper between the anode and the layer separating the anode from the cathode acts as a sensor. When it detects lithium buildups from overcharging are approaching the separator, it sends an early alert long before it gets to a point where it would cause a short (which could lead to a fire). The new safety measure could be used in all sorts of battery applications, and not be limited to EVs. Learn more at Phys.org.

Mitsubishi Mirage retiring from the Japanese market in current form

The city-friendly sixth-generation Mitsubishi Mirage has reached the end of its career on the Japanese market. The company's consumer website notes that production has ended, and the news fuels speculation that the hatchback will soon retire from the American market. "Due to the end of production of the Mirage, we may not be able to meet the customer's request for body color, options, etc. Please contact our sales staff for details," the message reads. Interestingly, the end of production isn't announced on Mitsubishi's American website. While the Mirage is overshadowed by Mitsubishi's crossovers and SUVs in the United States, a market that has traditionally been unkind to small hatchbacks, it's relatively popular in several Asian markets and nothing suggests slow sales caused its demise. The current-generation model received a new-look exterior design and additional tech features for 2021, but it entered production in April 2012 as a hatchback and in June 2013 as a sedan so it's fairly old in car years — it sounds like the Mirage has simply reached the end of its natural life cycle. It's too early to tell what's next; our spies haven't spotted a new Mirage testing yet. We know that in some markets Mitsubishi will soon revive the heritage-laced Colt nameplate on a hatchback related to the Renault Clio, but we wouldn't be surprised if the Mirage lives on in one form or another. The Clio stretches about eight inches longer and five inches wider than the Mirage so the Colt won't land as a direct replacement. Similarly, what this means for the Mirage's career in the United States is unclear at this point. "The Mirage remains an integral part of our U.S. line-up at this time," a company spokesperson told Autoblog. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.