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2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross First Drive Review | A welcome improvement

We’ve considered the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross a better-than-expected option in a mostly uninspiring vehicular segment ever since it was introduced for the 2018 model year. ItÂ’s sized and priced somewhere between subcompact and compact crossovers, making it an in-betweener that may attract some buyers due to its distinctive positioning. And itÂ’s been given a pretty comprehensive refresh for the 2022 model year that erases a few of our complaints and makes it more compelling, especially against subcompact crossover models like the Honda HR-V and Toyota C-HR. In an odd bit of launch timing that we figure was probably shaken up by a certain global pandemic, thereÂ’s no 2021 edition. The 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isnÂ’t a total redesign — it rides on the same platform and is powered by the same engine and transmission as before — but the exterior design has been given a serious makeover while the interior gets some nice ergonomic upgrades that will make it easier to live with on a daily basis. On the outside, the updates are focused on the very tips of the little crossover. A redesigned front fascia further separates the light clusters into upper LED driving lights and lower stacked headlights and fog lamps. MitsubishiÂ’s Dynamic Shield grille design features chrome swooshes that flank a blacked-out diamond-pattern mesh in the center. ThereÂ’s a definite human-esque look to the face of the Eclipse Cross, and in person the overall appearance is aggressive and interesting. The rear received an even bigger makeover than the front. Gone is the two-piece rear glass that was bisected by a faux spoiler-shaped panel with full-width taillights, and in its place is a much more conventional hatchback with a larger single-piece window. The 2022 Eclipse Cross is a significant 5.5 inches longer than the 2020 model, and four of those were tacked on the back end. That makes for a bump in cargo capacity to 23.4 cubic feet (up 0.8 over the 2020 version) with the rear seat in place and 50.1 (an increase of 1.2 cubic feet) with the second row folded. It also adds 11% more floor area for long and/or wide items. While the added space is a welcome improvement, the reconfiguration of the Eclipse CrossÂ’s dashboard and center console may be even more useful. The infotainment screen, which measures 7 inches on the base ES model and 8 inches on everything else, was moved a couple inches closer to the driver.

Ex-Green Beret arrested in Ghosn's escape has lived a life of danger

This Dec. 30, 2019, image from security camera video shows Michael L. Taylor, center, and George-Antoine Zayek at passport control at Istanbul Airport in Turkey. Taylor, a former Green Beret, and his son, Peter Taylor, 27, were arrested Wednesday in Massachusetts on charges they smuggled Nissan ex-Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box in December 2019, while he awaited trial there on financial misconduct charges. / AP   Decades before a security camera caught Michael Taylor coming off a jet that was carrying one of the world’s most-wanted fugitives, the former Green Beret had a hard-earned reputation for taking on dicey assignments. Over the years, Taylor had been hired by parents to rescue abducted children. He went undercover for the FBI to sting a Massachusetts drug gang. And he worked as a military contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan, an assignment that landed him in a Utah jail in a federal fraud case. So when Taylor was linked to the December escape of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn from Japan, where the executive awaited trial on financial misconduct charges, some in U.S. military and legal circles immediately recognized the name. Taylor has “gotten himself involved in situations that most people would never even think of, dangerous situations, but for all the right reasons,” Paul Kelly, a former federal prosecutor in Boston who has known the security consultant since the early 1990s, said earlier this year. “Was I surprised when I read the story that he may have been involved in what took place in Japan? No, not at all.” Wednesday, after months as fugitives, Taylor, 59, and his son, Peter, 27, were arrested in Massachusetts on charges accusing them of hiding Ghosn in a shipping case drilled with air holes and smuggling him out of Japan on a chartered jet. Investigators were still seeking George-Antoine Zayek, a Lebanese-born colleague of Taylor. “He is the most all-American man I know,” TaylorÂ’s assistant, Barbara Auterio, wrote to a federal judge before his sentencing in 2015. “His favorite song is the national anthem.” Kelly, now serving as the attorney for the Taylors, said they plan to challenge JapanÂ’s extradition request “on several legal and factual grounds.” “Michael Taylor is a distinguished veteran and patriot, and both he and his son deserve a full and fair hearing regarding these issues,” Kelly said in an email.

Renault will split EV from combustion unit, seeks partnerships

PARIS — Renault has received several partnership proposals for the combustion engine unit it plans to create alongside one dedicated to electric vehicles and software, two sources familiar with the matter said. Renault plans to separate its electric and conventional car businesses, creating two entities to manage the shift towards fossil-free vehicles. "The group has already received partnership demands" for its internal combustion engine unit, one of the sources said. By bringing in partners on the combustion engine side Renault aims to free up funds to invest in electric vehicles, a technology in which it was a pioneer with Nissan and Mitsubishi, but in which it is now eclipsed by pure players such as Tesla. Renault intends to retain majority ownership of its electric division, which will employ about 10,000 people and which could be bourse-listed via an IPO in the second half of 2023. However, it will only remain a reference shareholder, not a controlling shareholder, of the combustion engine unit, which will have similar staff levels, said two other sources familiar with the plans. One of the sources said Renault may hang on to a 40% stake. Renault declined to comment. The carmaker at a capital market day this autumn will set out its plans for its electric arm based in France and the combustion unit headquartered abroad. That entity will include factories producing engines and gear boxes for gasoline and hybrid cars in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Romania and Latin America. Among potential partners for its combustion engine business, CEO Luca de Meo in April mentioned Nissan, other automotive groups and long-term investors. De Meo is set to travel to Japan next month to discuss potential Japanese participation in its electric and combustion engine projects. Renault is undergoing a major restructuring aimed at restoring its finances and recently signed partnerships beyond its historical alliances with Nissan, Mitsubishi and Mercedes, such as with China's Geely Automobile Holdings. This month it sold 34% of its South Korean unit to Geely, which owns Volvo Cars and is a shareholder in Mercedes. With Geely, Renault plans to develop hybrid vehicles which will be assembled in its plant in Busan, South Korea. Earnings/Financials Green Mitsubishi Nissan Renault