2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gs Coupe 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi HQ raided by the Japanese government

Mitsubishi's fuel economy scandal continues to grow, and the Japanese government wants answers. According to Reuters, the Japanese Transport Ministry raided the company's headquarters and a factory in Nagoya today. This raid comes soon after the company revealed that a number of its SUVs were also being sold with incorrect fuel economy ratings. The Japanese government issued a stop-sale on those vehicles a few days ago. This raid also follows an internal investigation conducted by Mitsubishi to discover how this fuel economy scandal happened, and how the practices that led to it were able to continue for 25 years. The internal investigation revealed a few contributing factors that all fell under issues with the company's culture. There was significant pressure throughout the company to reach fuel economy targets and missing them wasn't readily accepted. Questioning decisions of management was also discouraged, and it seemed the different divisions of the company weren't working well together. The findings of this raid have yet to be revealed, but it will be interesting to see how they compare with those of the internal investigation. The Japanese Transport Ministry seems intent on preventing a repeat of this with another company considering that, according to Reuters, it "sent documents to other automakers to enforce compliance with rules for calculating mileage ." Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Julien Amado / Autoblog Quebec Government/Legal Green Mitsubishi Fuel Efficiency investigation

Fiat introduces new Fullback pickup

Fiat has unveiled its first foray into the mid-size pickup truck market, the Fullback, at the Dubai Motor Show. It's not an entirely new product, confirming earlier reports. It's closely related to the Triton pickup (also known as the L200) that Mitsubishi builds in Thailand for markets in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Moreover, it's not likely ever to make it to North American showrooms. Riding on a 118-inch wheelbase, it measures 208 inches long, 71 inches wide and 70 inches tall. Those are identical measurements to the Mitsu, and give it roughly similar dimensions to the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon we get here. The Fullback can carry up to 2,300 pounds, and is powered by a 2.4-liter turbo diesel engine available in either 150- or 180-horsepower states of tune, and mated to a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Fiat Professional will roll out the Fullback in markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, where it will compete against the likes of the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and Volkswagen Amarok. FIAT PROFESSIONAL DEBUTS NEW FULLBACK PICK-UP TRUCK AT THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW - New FIAT Professional pick-up truck to be named Fullback – a name derived from the cornerstone position in rugby and American football - Available in the UK in autumn 2016, the FIAT Fullback will combine a practical double-cab body style with a spacious load area and competitive payload of 1,045kg - Powered by a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine, with 150hp or 180hp outputs, the FIAT Fullback will have four-wheel drive as standard, combined with a manual or automatic transmission - More details, including pricing and final specifications, will be announced closer to the launch of the FIAT Fullback in the UK FIAT Professional has unveiled the all-new FIAT Fullback pick-up truck at the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show. The new, medium-duty pick-up will join the award-winning FIAT Professional range in autumn 2016 and will be available only with a practical double cab body style configuration in the UK making it an ideal vehicle for both commercial and leisure time activities. Measuring up to 1,780mm in height, 1,815 mm in width and 5,285mm in length, with a wheelbase of 3,000mm, the new FIAT Fullback will offer a competitive payload of 1,045 kg and will be powered by a 2.4-litre, aluminium, turbo-diesel engine with a power output of either 150hp or 180hp.

Mitsubishi recalling i-MiEV models for brake problem

Mitsubishi is issuing a recall for the 2010-2014 i-MiEV that affects 1,810 units of the little electric car, because it's possible for the brake vacuum pump to stop working. If this happens, the result would be longer stopping distances, according to the company. The affected models were built between September 15, 2009, and March 25, 2014.
While this is just a single recall, there are actually two things that can cause this brake problem on the i-MiEV, according to Mitsubishi's filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. First, bad programming in the EV-ECU could cause the system to "falsely judge that the relay contact point is stuck," according to the full NHTSA defect notice PDF. Second, the vacuum pump exhaust hole could be corroded and blocked due to being splashed with road salt. However, the company says that if either fault happens, the brake warning lamp would illuminate, and there would be an audible alarm.
Depending on which issue is affecting an owner's i-MiEV, Mitsubishi is going to reprogram the software, replace the pump or both. Scroll down to read the recall report from NHTSA.