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Mitsubishi leaving US? No, it's doubling its marketing budget

We rarely hear any major news coming out of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Orlando, FL, but Mitsubishi executives found this a fitting place to announce a big push for increased advertising here in the US. A report in Automotive News states that the struggling Japanese automaker is returning to advertising in prime time television for the first time since 2005, with the push slated to begin in June and July for the launch of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander shown above.
Despite dwindling sales and a shrinking lineup, Mitsubishi's new North American chairman, Gayu Uesugi, has said on multiple occasions that the automaker has no plans to abandon the US market. Spending extra money on marketing and advertising should be a good start to help improve sales, but a lack of fresh and competitive products is also keeping showrooms empty. Aside from the new Outlander, the AN report says that Mitsubishi spokesman Roger Yasukawa said that a "yet-to-be-named subcompact" will arrive this year, which suggests the unnamed hatchback shown below (known elsewhere as the Mirage), could be heading to the US after its North American introduction at the Montreal Auto Show last month.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV arrives in UK with 'no' price premium

For UK buyers who are interested in a plug-in hybrid SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV just got a little bit sweeter. The reason is that the base model of the vehicle will be available with or without a plug for the same price at the base diesel model. "If it's not going to save people money, they won't buy it" - Mitsubishi UK's Lance Bradley According to Cars UK, the price for the Outlander PHEV will be GBP28,249 (about $47,000 US) after a government grant of GBP5,000. In other words, the plug-in SUV actually costs GBP33,249 ($55,000) but thanks to pro-EV regulations, buyers can choose the powertrain they want, not the one they can afford. The managing director of Mitsubishi UK, Lance Bradley, told BusinessCar that it just makes sense to price the two vehicles at the same level. "There are some clever cars in the market but they're all too expensive," he said. "There should be a clear cost benefit because if it's not going to save people money, they won't buy it. The Outlander PHEV has an all-electric range of 32 miles, a top speed of 75 miles per hour in EV mode and a towing capacity of over 3,000 pounds. The SUV invades Britain in May and is scheduled to arrive in the US in 2015. Mitsubishi Motors North America's Melvin Bautista told AutoblogGreen that the UK price equivalence doesn't mean anything for the US, and that the company hasn't even begun the pricing for the vehicle in the US. The way the vehicles are packaged in the UK is also be different than how things work in the US, so we can't read anything into the UK price. Another factor is that, at the time when the PHEV launches in the US, the standard gasoline version will be undergoing a light facelift, which will also be applied to the PHEV model. This isn't the first time an alternative-fuel powertrain vehicle has cost the same as the old-fashioned gas model. The 2013 Lincoln MKZ could be had with a 2.0-liter hybrid or a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder for the same price.

Swarm of bees descends on man's Mitsubishi

A man in Wales got quite a shock when he returned to his car only to find it covered in bees. According to the South Wales Evening Post, an unnamed driver parked Mitsubishi Outlander in front of the Three Crowns Pub in Haverfordwest, a city in Pembrokesire, Southwest Wales. When he returned, he discovered a large swarm of honeybees had come to roost on the rear of the car. Thankfully, before anyone could disturb the bees, a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ranger named Tom Moses came across the scene. "It was spectacular, I was driving through when I sported the big brown splodge," Moses told the Evening Post. "A lot of people were really amazed by it, cars were slowing down and people were taking pictures of it." The bees were swarming the car after their queen became lodged in the trunk, according to the Guardian. Moses has an interest in bees and often speaks to people about the ways in which bees are threatened by pesticides and habitat destruction. "At the national park, we like people to be aware of how important bees are and how people should be looking after them," Moses told the paper. The ranger contacted the Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association and two members came out to collect the swarm. "I was a little bit concerned, with it being in the middle of town outside a pub, that someone might do something stupid and get hurt or do something stupid and hurt the bees," Moses said. His concern is valid. It's a very bad idea to tangle with stinging insects when you don't know what you're doing. Bees swarm to protect their queen, and are liable to swarm anything they see as a threat. If you ever find yourself in this unlikely scenario, call a professional beekeeper who can safely remove the hive. Avoid hiring an exterminator though. Bee populations have a hard enough time as it is. Honeybee die-offs and disappearances have been on the rise since 2006. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one of the primary culprits is Colony Collapse Disorder, which happens when all adult workers in a hive disappear leaving only immature bees and a queen behind. Related Video: