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Mitsubishi rolls out new Pajero Sport in Thailand

Mitsubishi is launching the new Pajero Sport you see here, based on the latest Triton/L200 pickup introduced late last year. The new Pajero Sport (known as the Challenger in certain markets) replaces a model that's been on the market for seven years now. The midsize sport-utility vehicle is being introduced first in Thailand, but will be sold in about 90 countries around the world. Those will include Australia, Russia, and markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia – regions in which Mitsubishi has sold some 400,000 units of the previous Pajero Sport. Behind the imposing new Dynamic Shield front end sits a 2.4-liter turbo diesel driving all four wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination is said to be a good 17 percent more economical than the previous model's. Full specs have yet to be revealed, but it's expected to produce around 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The new Pajero Sport also packs all the latest safety technologies, including automatic braking, blind spot monitor, and ultrasonic misacceleration systems. Rock-crawlers will also appreciate the off-road mode, hill descent control, and increased wading depth, all of which add up to make the Pajero Sport a very different kind of high-riding Mitsubishi than the new Outlander recently introduced on our side of the Pacific. Here in North America, truck-based SUVs are steadily losing ground to car-based crossovers. But overseas – particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and Australia – they're not only surviving, but thriving. In addition to this Pajero Sport, Ford recently introduced its new Ranger-based Everest, and Toyota the new Fortuner based on the HiLux. World Debut of the All-new Pajero Sport Mid-size SUV in Thailand Popular SUV's first full redesign in seven years to reach some 90 countries Tokyo, August 1, 2015 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announces the world premiere of first full-redesign of the Pajero Sport mid-size SUV in seven years in Thailand, where it is produced at Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co. Ltd.'s*1 Laem Chabang Plant. Sales start in Thailand from this fall, and MMC plans to introduce the all-new Pajero Sport sequentially in Australia, the ASEAN nations, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Russia and, as with its predecessor, to sell the new model in some 90 countries.

Mitsubishi recalls Mirage in snowy states for airbag delay

The Basics: Mitsubishi is recalling 25,185 examples of the 2014-2015 Mirage, built between August 7, 2013, and September 2, 2015, sold or ever registered in states that use salt to melt ice on the road during the winter months. Those include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The Problem: Snow with road salt tracked in on boots could cause a wiring connector to short out behind a kick panel next to the driver's footrest, potentially delaying the deployment of the front airbags. Injuries/Deaths: None reported. The fix: Mitsubishi dealers are being instructed to inspect the electrical connectors, replace any corroded ones, and fit a waterproof sheet to prevent any further corrosion. No timeframe has been set as of yet. If you own one: Try not to track in too much snow. Watch out for the SRS warning light on the dashboard, which will alert you if there's a problem with the airbags. Expect to hear from Mitsubishi Motors North America in due course to arrange for your vehicle to be checked out at a local dealer. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Air Bag Deployment may be Delayed due to Corrosion Report Receipt Date: DEC 04, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V815000 Component(s): AIR BAGS , ELECTRICAL SYSTEM All Products Associated with this Recall Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Mitsubishi Mirage vehicles manufactured August 7, 2013, to September 2, 2015 and originally sold in, or ever registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and District of Columbia. If the driver enters an affected vehicle with their boots covered with snow mixed with road salt, the melting snow may soak through the carpet and cause corrosion to a wiring connector located in a junction box behind a kick panel to the left of the driver's footrest. CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a crash, corrosion of the connector could delay deployment of the frontal air bags, increasing the risk of injury to the driver and the front seat passenger.

Self-driving Mitsubishis could use adapted missile technology

Mitsubishi is a big company made up of many different divisions and subsidiaries. Yeah, we tend to focus on Mitsubishi Motors, but the sprawling company also manufactures steel, builds televisions – we all knew someone in the 1990s with a hulking Mitsubishi "big screen" – and even screws together fighter jets and the missiles they carry. According to a report from Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi Motors is hoping to leverage the capabilities of its sister companies to catch up to the competition and get driverless cars on the road by 2020. That means adapting millimeter-wave radars, sensors, and cameras built for missiles to automotive uses. As Mitsubishi sees it, having the development work done on this tech – albeit for a radically different application – gives it a big advantage over the competition. "All we have to do is to put together the components that we already have," Katsumi Adachi, the chief engineer for Mitsu's auto equipment division, told ANE. "None of our competitors have such a wide array of capabilities." As ANE goes on to explain with the help of Tokyo-based IHS analyst Goro Tanamachi, this is no plug-and-play application. That's largely because of the different economics of the automotive and defense industries. In the former, the bean counters have a tremendous say. There are cuts and cost reductions and all sorts of other stuff designed to maximize profit margins. The defense industry, though, is the land of sparing no expense – that, according to Tanamachi-san, could make adapting missile tech to autonomous vehicles a possible, but potentially very pricey proposition. "Cost-cutting requests are much more severe in autos than aerospace," Tanamachi-san told ANE. "I wonder if it's possible for them to bring down the cost of the systems to the levels manufacturers can use for cheap, low-end cars." Related Video: X