2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Hatchback 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV production restarts after five-month delay

Back in March, production of both the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid and the all-electric i-MiEV ground to a halt over a pair of incidents where overheated lithium-ion batteries caused vehicle fires. Following the rocky start, The Japan Times is reporting that production of the Outlander PHEV has recommenced following the five-month stoppage.
The battery fires were tracked down to a supplier issue before more than 4,300 vehicles were recalled in June, but Mitsubishi received heavy criticism from the Japanese government for the delayed recall. According to the report, though, that hasn't slow down enthusiasm for the plug-in crossover - Mitsubishi has received close to 18,000 for the Outlander PHEV. To keep up with demand, the automaker is planning to double production to 4,000 units a month.

Mitsubishi Mirage sedan confirmed for US

The Mitsubishi Mirage easily takes the cake as the worst new car I've driven in the last year. Actually, make that the worst new car I've driven in several years (Side Note: when was the last time I drove a Smart Fortwo?). But regardless of what I, or my colleagues, think about the Mirage, it's selling decently – Mitsubishi has moved over 14,000 of them so far this year, which is actually higher than the company initially expected. And now, we've got official confirmation that the sedan version is headed our way. This isn't really shocking, considering earlier reports, but Motor Trend received further confirmation of the Mirage sedan's arrival during last week's Los Angeles Auto Show. There's no official timing as to when the sedan will arrive, and when I reached out for comment, a Mitsubishi spokesperson said of this report, "Yep. Confirmed." So, yeah, the Mirage sedan is headed our way. It'll probably come in somewhere around the low, low $12,995 price of the hatchback, and hopefully, it'll be better to drive than its more versatile hatchback sibling. And hey, if it can help Mitsubishi build sales momentum here in the US, then that's a win, right?

Mexican police seize engine-powered drug cannon

It seems like we're always hearing about new ways in which people are trying to smuggle things into the US from Mexico - including simply driving over the wall. Case in point? Mexican police have found yet another way criminals are attempting to get drugs over the border. Mexicali police have seized what looks to be either a Mitsubishi Mighty Max or Dodge Ram 50 pickup, equipped with what is essentially an oversized spud gun in the bed used to shoot marijuana over the border.
Constructed from a metal tank and a large plastic pipe, The Guardian reports that this drug cannon actually uses a car engine to build up enough air pressure to launch up to 13 kilos of marijuana at a time. Mexicali police were alerted to this truck when their US counterparts found drug packages on this side of the border. As of yet, there is no word as to how the vehicle was caught and whether any arrests resulted.