Mitsubishi Mirage 2000 1.5 Turbo, Boosted, Project, Custom on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mitsubishi Montero

Americans had been buying Mitsubishi-made pickups (badged as Plymouth Arrows and Dodge Ram 50s) for the better part of a decade when the Americanized version of the Pajero SUV appeared in American Mitsubishi showrooms. Naturally, there was a Dodge-badged version as well (known as the Raider), but finally Americans could buy a bouncy, off-road-capable SUV with big Mitsubishi badges all over it. The first-generation (1985-1991) Monteros have become quite rare, but I found this high-mile example in a Denver yard a few weeks back. You won't often see a late-1980s/early-1990s Mitsubishi with more than 200,000 miles on the clock, but Monteros held their value longer than Mighty Maxes and Mirages. I couldn't find any meaningful rust on this one, but the interior looked pretty tired. Under the hood we find the ubiquitous 3.0-liter 6G72 V6 engine, which found its way into everything including Chrysler minivans, Mitsubishi Diamante luxury sedans and even 1990s Hyundai Sonatas. Mitsubishi got its money's worth out of this engine, which stayed in production from 1986 through 2011 (in China). Most of the early Raiders and Monteros I've found in junkyards had manual transmissions, but this one shows the direction American SUV buyers were headed in 1990: two pedals, no shifting. It still lacks the dozen cupholders of later US-market trucks, of course. The Montero name went on Pajeros sold in North and South America, while UK-market trucks got Shogun badging. This beefy grab bar for the front-seat passenger suggests the kind of rugged driving environments not much like the highway commutes now used by SUVs in North America. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Just the vehicle for contemplating the ocean... or racing. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mitsubishi: Suddenly, the obvious choice.

Mitsubishi Motors halts some SUV sales in Japan as MPG scandal grows

Mitsubishi's fuel-economy scandal is going from bad to worse. First, the Japanese automaker claimed it lied about the fuel economy for a few kei cars, then it claimed fuel economy tests for as far back as 1991 could reveal mile-per-gallon figures that were tampered with. In May the automaker, admitted that every single vehicle it's sold in Japan could be affected by the fuel-economy scandal. Now, the Japanese automaker revealed that more of its vehicles were involved in the fuel-economy cheating scandal – and one of them is sold in the US. After completing its investigation into the automaker's fuel-economy scandal, Japan's Transport Ministry found that Mitsubishi overstated the fuel economy for eight more vehicles in marketing brochures, one of which is sold as the Outlander Sport in the US, reports Automotive News. The Transport Ministry ordered Mitsubishi to stop domestic sales of the models, which include the Pajero, Outlander, and RVR SUV (known as the Outlander Sport in the US). The latest finding adds to four kei cars that were previously noted for having overstated fuel economy figures earlier this year. Japan's sixth-largest automaker is having a hard time recuperating since the scandal broke earlier this April. The initial scandal led to the automaker suspending its sales, which caused a large dip in the automaker's market value. The scandal required Mitsubishi to seek financial assistance from Nissan, which agreed to buy a controlling 34-percent stake for $2.2 billion. Investigators hired by Mitsubishi to look into the automaker's overstated fuel economy figures revealed the company's "corporate culture" as the issue. More specifically, the investigators founds the company's pressure to improve fuel-efficiency figures, a lack of unity between divisions, and an unwillingness to accept fuel economy shortfalls as the reason for falsifying its vehicles' mpg figures. Mitsubishi is expected to compensate Japanese owners for the overstated fuel economy figures, which would result in a massive loss for the automaker. The company is expected to post a net loss of roughly $1.4 billion this year, pushing Mitsubishi into the red for the first time in approximately eight years. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News-sub.req.Image Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg via Getty Images Government/Legal Green Mitsubishi Nissan Fuel Efficiency kei car scandal

L200 Absolute Concept is the off-road truck we want from Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi took the wraps off a concept off-road truck called the L200 Absolute at the Bangkok International Motor Show, and we completely approve. The truck isn't just a normal L200 with an appearance package. No, Mitsubishi went in and modified the suspension, added a ton of body cladding and even some carbon fiber. We don't think about Mitsubishi as much ever since the Evo was discontinued here, but this truck provides a bit of hope that one day the Japanese brand could be cool again in America. To begin, Mitsubishi widened the truck's track to make room for the beefy Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires wrapping the black off-road wheels. Then the suspension was modified to give the truck a two-inch lift — it was also given a new shock and spring setup for off-road use, providing more suspension travel. Sadly, Mitsubishi does not say more about it, but we're happy that this truck will be much more capable when the trails get rough. Large and obvious red-accented skid plates are placed in the front and rear to offer some stylish protection. Then check out all the carbon fiber parts on this truck. Mitsubishi uses the material on the tailgate and fender flares. This is not the norm for trucks, nor is it typical of Mitsubishi as of late, but we're totally for it. A big LED lighting package is the last bit that is largely different from the normal L200/Triton pickup truck made in Thailand. We'll hand it to Mitsubishi for this one. The "Absolute" name is even an improvement over the last off-road concept it made called the Engelberg Tourer. Midsize trucks are hot now. This truck in production form could definitely raise some eyebrows in the U.S. with its off-road nature similar to the Colorado ZR2 and Jeep Gladiator. We definitely need something to get excited about Mitsubishi again, especially now with the Evo long in the rearview mirror.