1995 Mitsubishi Diamante, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV delayed until early 2016 in US

The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid has been a noteworthy success for the Japanese brand with over 33,000 sales sold worldwide as of the summer of 2014. Unfortunately, the electrified crossover has seen continual delays for its planned North American debut. The latest news about the model pushes back its launch even more. The Outlander PHEV now isn't slated to go on sale in the US until roughly April 2016, according to Mitsubishi North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen in Automotive News. Dealers are clamoring for the plug-in hybrid crossover, though. "That is going to be a vehicle that really sets us apart from the competition," said Ryan Gremore, 2015 chairman of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board, to AN. Multiple postponements have plagued the Outlander PHEV in arriving to the US. It was once rumored to launch here in the fall of 2014, but a battery shortage pushed the date to 2015. Subsequently, a California mandate to fit a sensor to monitor degradation of the lithium-ion batteries caused another delay until late 2015 or early 2016. In foreign markets, the Mitsubishi CUV plug-in offers a 12-kWh battery and electric driving range of about 30 miles. However once sales actually begin, the US version is supposed to be completely different with a retuned hybrid system, which could alter these figures. The styling and interior are also supposed to see a change, possibly like the attractively reskinned PHEV Concept-S from the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

Japan plans real-world diesel emissions test after companies fail

Japan's transport ministry plans to start real-world diesel emissions tests after an experiment found four models from Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi that produced more nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than the nation's rules allow, according to The Japan Times. Regulators there usually only perform emissions checks in the lab. The VW diesel scandal has everyone double-checking their figures. Diesel versions of the Toyota Hiace van, Land Cruiser Prado, and Nissan X-Trail produced up to 10 times more NOx than allowed. The Mitsubishi Delica D:5 was up to five times over the limit, The Wall Street Journal reports. There was no evidence of defeat devices in the vehicles. Mazda performed well in the experiment, though. The CX-5 passed with nearly the same results on the road and in the lab. The Demio, better known as the Mazda2, did nearly as well with only slighter higher figures in the real world than in the controlled setting. The experimenters theorized the reason for the excessive emissions was that cold weather caused the engines' software to shut off the exhaust gas recirculation to prevent damage, according to the WSJ. However, this behavior also increased NOx production. Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi don't have to worry about punishment from the transport ministry because this check was just an experiment. Their models already passed the mandated lab tests, which was the only requirement, according to The Japan Times. As governments begin greater real-world emissions tests, the results suggests diesels aren't very clean. A recent check in France found models from Ford, Renault, and Mercedes-Benz that didn't perform up to the standards. Regulators in India conducted similar evaluations and ordered VW to recall over 300,000 vehicles. Related Video:

New, never-sold 2006 Mitsubishi Evo draws $100K bid on eBay

Today, in the "OK, guess it must be worth that to somebody" department, we note that a California car dealer has an eBay listing for a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, still brand new and never titled, with nine miles on the odometer. Just another day on eBay, right, and just another car that didn't sell, was hoarded, or somehow forgotten in a barn? Not exactly. The top bid as of Wednesday morning was $100,100. The Evo was a popular car (for a Mitsubishi) in its day, in a cult-of-personality way. And though its run ended with the 2015 model year, a quick inventory search shows there are still around 30 of them sitting brand-new on dealer lots, including the #0001-of-1,600 Lancer Evolution Final Edition, a $70,000 MSRP limited-edition car in Rally Red that a Brooklyn dealer is trying to move for $87,888. Most of the remainders are listed in the $30,000s, however. The 2006 eBay car is listed by South Coast Mitsubishi in Orange County, a dealer who by one Redditer's account laid up a bunch of Evos like bottles of fine wine and sold them off at higher prices. If so, is this the last one in the cellar? And why did the dealership set a car aside in 2006, when they were plentiful and long before the model's demise? For whatever reason, this 2006 car has time-traveled to 2017, with seats still wrapped in plastic and an engine bay you could perform surgery in. It's an Evo IX MR in Graphite Gray with black trim. Base MSRP was a bit more than $35K. It's optioned with the MR package that includes some aluminum and carbon-fiber bits and boost-gauge kit, the Zero Lift aero kit, and it has a six-speed manual. Bottom line on the sticker was $37,094. Specs for that year: The Evo had a 2.0-liter, 16-value inline four making 286 horsepower with 289 pound-feet of torque. The car's curb weight was 3,300 pounds, and its 0-to-60 time was a highly impressive 4.4 seconds. Yet, for $100K or a little more or a lot less, think of all the amazing 2017 new cars, equipped with the latest technology, that would dominate it - Tesla Model S, Lexus LC 500, BMW M2, Mercedes C63 AMG, Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio, Camaro ZL1, Porsche 911 Carrera S, Dodge Demon, Dodge Hellcat, Corvette ZL1. Even a Mustang GT350 could edge it out, and if you drove a hard bargain you might be able to afford two. So, can a Mitsubishi triple its value by sitting around for a decade undriven? Is this in any way a collectible, to keep undriven as an investment?