1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gsx Turbocharged 2.0l All Wheel Drive on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi shows off its boxy new XFC Concept

Mitsubishi’s lineup has dwindled in the United States, but its presence is strongest in Asia, where it offers several vehicles not destined for our shores. Its latest concept vehicle previews a vision for a small utility vehicle with beefy styling and a futuristic interior. The XFC Concept is a compact SUV that Mitsubishi calls the “best-suited buddy for an exciting life.” ItÂ’s debuting at the Vietnam Motor Show later this month and is initially destined for life in Southeast Asia, though the company says it wants to expand that presence globally. The conceptÂ’s styling is a departure for the brand, whose other recent releases havenÂ’t been the easiest vehicles on the eyes (cough, cough, Outlander). Boxy lines and unique lighting are standout visual elements on the XFC, and the rear fender flares give it a muscular stance. Concepts rarely make it to production unchanged, so Mitsubishi is likely to alter the XFCÂ’s fantastic interior before release. The cabin appears to offer a mix of materials and large windows. Mitsubishi says it has class-leading interior space and notes that it focused on making the vehicle as comfortable as possible over rough roads. Flooding is an issue in the XFCÂ’s home region, so Mitsubishi gave it good ground clearance and four drive modes. Drivers can choose between normal, wet, gravel, and mud modes, and Mitsubishi says it developed the new wet mode specifically with Southeast Asian countries in mind. Mitsubishi will launch the XFC in 2023 and says an electric variant is coming down the road. Though itÂ’s still in the concept stage, the automaker plans for the SUV to become a core model for the brand on the global stage, alongside vehicles like its popular Xpander MPV.

A realistic approach to fixing Mitsubishi

There are going to be a lot of words written about what Nissan needs to do with Mitsubishi in the coming months and years in the interest of turning the brand around. After Nissan's purchase of a controlling stake in the diamond star brand, there's been more interest in Mitsubishi thanks to the potential of platform sharing and plenty of cash from Nissan-Renault to get the juices flowing again. But, while some have been doing their best to advocate for the return of the 3000GT, Evolution, and even the Starion - Many of these posts forget the reality of the market we live in today. As much as we like to look back fondly at the sports coupes of the '90s, a byproduct of the insane cash flows all the Japanese manufacturers had at the time, the reality of today puts a much greater emphasis on what is most-boring; Crossover SUVs, alongside mid-size and compact sedans. We do need to ask a fundamental question, how much Mitsubishi is enough to be able to continue to call the cars Mitsubishis? Aside from slight product revisions and reconfigurations, Mitsubishi (at least in North America) has been largely dependent on the same GS platform and 4B1 engines that date back to their long-time partnership with Chrysler (and Hyundai) in the mid '00s. Admittedly, the chassis and engines have served the company well, underpinning a wide variety of vehicles sold around the world, and seeing quite a few revisions to at least attempt to keep products competitive. But, the GS chassis is old, heavy, and severely out of date - and when matched to the underpowered 4B1 series engines - make for largely uncompetitive offerings in the market. While something like the Outlander Sport is indeed interesting compared to a Honda CR-V, it is by no means the smart choice in the segment. So, going forward, unless Mitsubishi has had a skunkworks of sorts developing their chassis and engine replacements over the past few years, what exactly are they planning to do for their bread-and-butter models? I think the straightforward answer is without a doubt the Nissan North America parts bin. With so many of their models selling well, and for the most part, are reasonably well-reviewed, it would be quite simple to adapt the chassis and powertrain to Mitsubishi's liking to create a high-volume alternative to what is currently available now.

Mitsubishi previews new Attrage global sedan

It's been about a month since we first saw the Mitsubishi Concept G4 at the Shanghai Motor Show, but now the automaker has revealed the first images for the sedan in production trim. Wearing the Mitsubishi Attrage nameplate, this sedan will go on sale this summer in Thailand and could eventually makes its way to the US. Despite being essentially a sedan version of its subcompact Mirage, Mitsubishi refers to the Attrage as its next-generation global compact sedan, suggesting it's a fair bit larger than its hatchback counterpart.
We only have this single image to go on, but the new Attrage obviously has the same overall look as the Concept G4. As expected, it does lose some of the more conceptual bits, including the fancy headlights, grills and wheels. While the styling has us thinking back to the late 1990s, the true advantage of the Attrage is likely to be its fuel consumption. US fuel economy for the Attrage hasn't been released, but the closely related 2014 Mirage is expected to return 37 miles per gallon in the city and 44 mpg on the highway using the same 1.2-liter inline four-cylinder engine paired with either a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission. Scroll down for the brief press release for the Thai-built Attrage.