2003 Mitsubishi Diamante Ls Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mitsubishi has 6 all-new models in the works, plus 5 redesigns

Mitsubishi has revealed its plans for the next three years, and they're all focused on expansion. The company wants to improve unit sales and revenue by 30 percent, which would have it selling 1.3 million cars worldwide. It also plans to improve profit margins from 0.3 percent to 6 percent. This will entail an investment of nearly $5.3 billion. To do this, the company will work on reducing development and manufacturing costs and concentrating on improving in existing markets. But the most interesting part for consumers and enthusiasts: its expanding product plans. Mitsubishi says it will have 11 new model launches over the three-year expansion period. Of these models, six of them are completely new, and the other five will be significant updates and redesigns of existing models. Two of the new vehicles have been shown already including the Eclipse Cross, a compact crossover we'll get in America, and the Xpander (shown below), a minivan-type thing that won't come to the States. The addition of redesigned and new models should be great news for Mitsubishi dealers, especially in America where the company only offers two flavors of aging Outlander, and the bargain-basement Mirage. Fans of Mitsubishi cars might not have much to be excited for, though, since the company says it will be focusing on SUVs and trucks. In fact, it expects that its five best-selling models and 70 percent of its sales will be SUVs, trucks, and plug-in hybrids. If we had to guess what the next four Mitsubishi models could be, we imagine that at least one of them will be some type of full-size crossover. Something sized similarly to the foreign-market Pajero SUV, but designed for pavement pounding. This would especially make sense given other companies entering that space such as VW with the Atlas, and Subaru with its Ascent. As for the three other slots, it's harder to guess. The future Outlander will grow, and the Outlander Sport will shrink, so Mitsubishi will have its midsize and subcompact bases covered, and with a hypothetical full-size crossover, it would have a full line. Those three other slots could be cars, or perhaps specialty crossovers, maybe even a sporty one based on the e-Evolution. But they could also be vehicles aimed at other regions in segments that don't really exist in the U.S. For instance, they could include new microcars for Japan's Kei class of vehicles, or possibly ultra-bare bones, low-cost compacts for Southeast Asia, India and China. Related Video:

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.

Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer concept is a 4WD plug-in hybrid

Mitsubishi has finally taken the wraps off its strangely named Engelberg Tourer crossover concept in Geneva, revealing a twin-motor, four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid with some nifty off-road capabilities and connected-car technology. Named for a Swiss ski resort famous for its unmarked, backcountry terrain, the Engelberg Tourer is a sporty-looking crossover that could preview a new Outlander. It features plenty of side creasing, an upright front end, interesting running lights and that unique roof box cap with integrated fog lamps and highly reflective strips of chrome along the sides. Mitsubishi says the crossover has an all-electric range of more than 70 kilometers, or around 43 miles, at least on the European WLTP cycle, and a combined gasoline-electric range of more than 700 km (435 miles). The Engelberg — users will inevitably make comparisons to the singer Engelbert Humperdinck, as does Google's autofill function — benefits from established and advanced Mitsubishi technologies. It uses the twin-motor PHEV system developed for the Outlander PHEV and improves it, with high-efficiency motors at the front and rear axles and a 2.4-liter gasoline engine in a series hybrid setup, acting as a generator. It uses active yaw control first developed for the Lancer Evolution series to split torque between the front and rear wheels, or between the front wheels alone, and matches it with a super all-wheel control system to improve performance and stability. The concept also features improved anti-lock braking at each wheel and active stability control to reduce wheel slip on snow-covered roads. The onboard navigation system takes the destination entered by the driver and factors in weather, temperature, topography, traffic and road conditions to choose the ideal drive mode and tailor torque split through drive battery management and the super all-wheel control system. Inside, Mitsubishi fashioned a spacious interior bedecked in white panels and seating material and black contrasts. There's also a roof box that houses fog lamps and front and rear bumper under guards. Mitsubishi also is demonstrating the Dendo Drive House, its version of a vehicle-to-home system that allows electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles to generate, store and share energy with a home. Mitsubishi says the service will be offered through dealerships in Japan and Europe later this year. Related Video: