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A case for the Eclipse Cross | Autoblog Podcast #508

On this week's podcast, Mike Austin joins David Gluckman to new cars they're driving and supercars that have just dropped. Mike also stands up for the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross in the face of some negativity, and the episode wraps up with the traditional doling out of Spend My Money buying advice. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #508 Topics and stories we mention Our long-term Mazda Miata Honda Civic Hatchback Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Geneva Motor Show coverage Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 02:15 Eclipse Cross and Geneva Show recap - 16:45 Spend My Money - 43:58 Total Duration: 56:27 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Geneva Motor Show Honda Jeep Mazda Mitsubishi 2017 Geneva Motor Show honda civic hatchback mitsubishi eclipse cross

Mitsubishi has 6 all-new models in the works, plus 5 redesigns

Mitsubishi has revealed its plans for the next three years, and they're all focused on expansion. The company wants to improve unit sales and revenue by 30 percent, which would have it selling 1.3 million cars worldwide. It also plans to improve profit margins from 0.3 percent to 6 percent. This will entail an investment of nearly $5.3 billion. To do this, the company will work on reducing development and manufacturing costs and concentrating on improving in existing markets. But the most interesting part for consumers and enthusiasts: its expanding product plans. Mitsubishi says it will have 11 new model launches over the three-year expansion period. Of these models, six of them are completely new, and the other five will be significant updates and redesigns of existing models. Two of the new vehicles have been shown already including the Eclipse Cross, a compact crossover we'll get in America, and the Xpander (shown below), a minivan-type thing that won't come to the States. The addition of redesigned and new models should be great news for Mitsubishi dealers, especially in America where the company only offers two flavors of aging Outlander, and the bargain-basement Mirage. Fans of Mitsubishi cars might not have much to be excited for, though, since the company says it will be focusing on SUVs and trucks. In fact, it expects that its five best-selling models and 70 percent of its sales will be SUVs, trucks, and plug-in hybrids. If we had to guess what the next four Mitsubishi models could be, we imagine that at least one of them will be some type of full-size crossover. Something sized similarly to the foreign-market Pajero SUV, but designed for pavement pounding. This would especially make sense given other companies entering that space such as VW with the Atlas, and Subaru with its Ascent. As for the three other slots, it's harder to guess. The future Outlander will grow, and the Outlander Sport will shrink, so Mitsubishi will have its midsize and subcompact bases covered, and with a hypothetical full-size crossover, it would have a full line. Those three other slots could be cars, or perhaps specialty crossovers, maybe even a sporty one based on the e-Evolution. But they could also be vehicles aimed at other regions in segments that don't really exist in the U.S. For instance, they could include new microcars for Japan's Kei class of vehicles, or possibly ultra-bare bones, low-cost compacts for Southeast Asia, India and China. Related Video:

Mitsubishi Mirage bows in Montreal without a name, Canadian sales promised

The Detroit Auto Show had plenty of major debuts for North American car buyers, but the Montreal Auto Show is being used for the North American debut of a new subcompact hatchback from Mitsubishi. Although this car is unnamed, it is almost identical to the redesigned Mirage we saw back at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show (and has been on sale in Asian markets such as Thailand since last year), but it is unclear if the car will carry this name when it goes on sale for our neighbors to the north starting this fall.
Aside from a slightly less annoying shade the of green we saw the car painted in at the Tokyo show, there are a few changes made for the car's Canadian debut. The biggest difference is that it is almost three inches longer, which is likely a result of the new rear fascia that is also visually different with some altered lines and small, circular reflectors. Other changes include a bigger three-cylinder engine (with a 1.2-liter displacement instead of the Tokyo car's 1.0-liter engine) and headlights that have new amber lenses for side reflectors.
There is still no word as to whether or not we'll see this new car in Mitsubishi's US lineup anytime soon, but it does seem like a good competitor against cars like that Mazda2, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai Accent.