1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse Base Hatchback 2-door 1.8l No Reserve! on 2040-cars

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Japan could consolidate to three automakers by 2020

Sergio Marchionne might see his dream of big mergers in the auto industry become a reality, and an analyst thinks Japan is a likely place for consolidation to happen. Takaki Nakanishi from Jefferies Group LLC tells Bloomberg the country's car market could combine to just three or fewer major players by 2020, from seven today. "To have one or two carmakers in a country is not only natural, but also helpful to their competitiveness," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "Japan has just too many and the resources have been too spread out. It's a natural trend to consolidate and reduce some of the wasted resources." Nakanishi's argument echoes Marchionne's reasons to push for a merger between FCA and General Motors. Automakers spend billions on research and development, but their competitors also invest money to create the same solutions. Consolidating could conceivably put that R&D money into new avenues. "In today's global marketplace, it is increasingly difficult for automakers to compete in lower volume segments like sports cars, hydrogen fuel cells, or electrified vehicles on their own," Ed Kim, vice president of Industry Analysis at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Even without mergers, these are the areas where Japanese automakers already have partners for development. Kim cited examples like Toyota and Subaru's work on the BRZ and FR-S and its collaboration with BMW on a forthcoming sports car. Honda and GM have also reportedly deepened their cooperation on green car tech. After Toyota's recent buyout of previous partner Daihatsu, Nakanishi agrees with rumors that the automotive giant could next pursue Suzuki. He sees them like a courting couple. "For Suzuki, it's like they're just starting to exchange diaries and have yet to hold hands. When Toyota's starts to hold 5 percent of Suzuki's shares, this will be like finally touching fingertips," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "I absolutely do believe that we are not finished seeing consolidation in Japan," Kim told Autoblog. Rising development costs to meet tougher emissions regulations make it hard for minor players in the market to remain competitive. "The smaller automakers like Suzuki, Mazda, and Mitsubishi are challenged to make it on their own in the global marketplace. Consolidation for them may be inevitable." Related Video:

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution recalled over clutch woes

Mitsubishi will be recalling over 10,000 Lancer Evolutions built between December 12, 2007 and March 5, 2013, covering model years 2008 to 2013. The recall only affects cars with manual transmissions, though, so if you opted for a Lancer Evo with a quick-shifting SST, this recall doesn't apply to you.
If you're one of the 10,474 people that has a Lancer Evo X GSR, which is the only way into a manual-trans Evo X, you need to plan a trip to your local dealer. The recall relates to a failure in the clutch master cylinder, making shifting in and out of gear difficult. Consequently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that this could increase the odds of crashing.
Mitsu will notify owners of the affected cars, and these Evo models will be repaired, free of charge, at dealerships. The recall is slated to begin around November 11. Scroll down for the full bulletin from the NHTSA.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Quick Spin Review | Why doesn't everyone make one of these?

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV took a remarkably long time to get to the United States. It went on sale in Europe in 2013, and was originally planned to come to America the year after, but didn't arrive until late in 2017. Mitsubishi was also fortunate that, in the time it took to finalize the American model, the entry-level competition remained primarily sedans and sedan-like hatchbacks, with the exception of the Niro PHEV, a crossover smaller than Outlander, and closer to a traditional hatchback. So the question is, was it worth the wait, and is it worth considering against other plug-in hybrids? A mostly frugal and very smooth powertrain The big appeal of the Outlander PHEV is of course its plug-in hybrid powertrain. It comprises a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and two electric motors, one up front, one in the rear. This powertrain can function in three different ways. There's full electric mode, series hybrid mode (the gas engine acts like a generator, and propulsion is handled solely by the electric motor), and parallel hybrid (a clutch engages the engine to the front motor for additional propulsion assist). The Outlander switches automatically between these operational schemes depending on drive mode settings. For example, with a full charge you can press a button to keep it in EV mode, at least as long as there's enough battery power. Two other buttons can allow you to save the battery charge for use later, such as in town after a highway drive, and a charge button to replenish the battery level while driving. Because of this powertrain layout, the Outlander PHEV drives much like an all-electric car most of the time. It's nearly silent except when the engine kicks on, or when accelerating or decelerating hard. In the case of the latter, you can pick up a faint, futuristic whir from the motors. It feels very smooth thanks to a lack of transmission shifts. The throttle is responsive since there's no CVT adjusting ratios or a torque converter making responses a little slushy. And of course there's the instant torque that all electric motors provide, which makes the Outlander spunky around town. You can even adjust the strength of the battery regeneration by putting it from "D" for drive into "B." Then you can set the strength via the steering wheel paddles. Also impressive is the fact that the powertrain is still quite smooth and quiet when the engine fires up.