2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor Ls Awd Sport Utility 4-door Vehicle on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi recalling 166k cars, crossovers over stall risk

Mitsubishi is recalling 165,923 vehicles in the US because it's possible for the drive belt to detach from their engines, potentially causing a stall. Specifically, the campaign covers 2008-2011 model-year examples of the Lancer, Lancer Evolution (pictured above) and Outlander as well as the 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback and 2011 Outlander Sport. All of the affected models use some version of the brand's 4B1 four-cylinder engine.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the engine pulley can wear causing the drive belt to slip off. If this happens, the alternator, cooling fan and hydraulic power steering can all stop working, and obviously, any of those things could make driving unsafe. However, if the belt detaches, then a warning light should come on in the cabin.
To fix the problem, Mitsubishi dealers will replace the original belt with a redesigned rubber part and will inspect the pulley. If worn, it'll also be replaced free of charge.

Recharge Wrap-up: Electric trucking, Mitsubishi plug-in sales boost

A company called Oakridge Global Energy Solutions is providing batteries to Minnesota's Freedom Trucking. Oakridge claims the electric freight trucks can haul nearly 40 tons of cargo almost 400 miles on a single charge. "The custom battery design for Freedom Trucking is an absolute game changer," says Oakridge CEO Steve Barber. The Melbourne, Florida-based startup also says it is providing lithium-ion batteries for Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Victory motorcycles. (Notably, Oakridge was accused last year of failing to pay its employees. Also, of note, Oakridge trades as OGES on OTCQX, the same over-the-counter market as Elio Motors.) Read more from Energy Matters. A new UK poll suggests that nearly a third of drivers would choose a plug-in vehicle for their company car. 23 percent of respondents said they'd choose a plug-in hybrid for their fleet car, while 8.2 percent would choose a battery electric vehicle. Another 7.1 would choose a conventional hybrid, and 47.2 percent still prefer diesel, while only 12.4 percent would choose gasoline (it is, after all, the UK). In all, the poll (with an admittedly small sampling of 282 respondents) shows that alternatively powered vehicles will make up 40.4 percent of future fleet orders will. A recent survey from KPMG shows that 79 percent of auto executives believe hybrids will be the go-to powertrain in 2030. Read more from Fleet News. A reduction in plug-in car subsidies has boosted Mitsubishi's UK sales in February. As the Plug-In Car Grant was set to reduce from GBP5,000 to GBP2,500 ( from about $7,117 to $3,559) on March 1, Mitsubishi saw a run on its Outlander PHEV by customers looking to take advantage of the larger subsidy. Outlander PHEV sales were up 41 percent compared to a year before. The launch of the L200 Series 5 also helped Mitsubishi's performance in February, as pickup truck sales were up 34 percent. Read more in the press release below. PLUG-IN CAR GRANT CHANGE DRIVES MITSUBISHI SALES IN FEBRUARY CIRENCESTER – Sales of Mitsubishi vehicles in February were up 28 per cent compared to the same month last year according to figures released by the SMMT. The rise was driven by a 41 per cent increase in sales of the Outlander PHEV, ahead of the reduction in the Plug-in Car Grant from GBP5,000 to GBP2,500 beginning March 1. The UK's favourite plug-in continues lead the hybrid and electric car sector in 2016.

Mitsubishi bringing SUV 'Legend' to the Chicago Auto Show

Mitsubishi claims that "a legend" is returning to its ranks at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show in February. Its save-the-date to the Windy City event just depicts an indistinguishable crossover sitting on top of a sand dune as the only hint of what the Japanese brand has in store. However, according to company spokesperson Alex Fedorak this isn't an entirely new vehicle. Mitsubishi is giving the GC-PHEV concept (pictured below) its North American debut, after originally unveiling it at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. While it's purely a concept, the vehicle is "a designer's rendering of what a new Montero could look like," said Fedorak to Autoblog. While Mitsu is not committing to putting the chunky CUV into production yet, the press conference is going to "talk about what role if any it plays in our future," he said.