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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:

Tokyo court rejects Carlos Ghosn's bail request

TOKYO — A Tokyo court rejected former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn's latest request for bail on Tuesday, more than two months after his arrest. A statement from the Tokyo District Court announcing its decision gave no explanation for prolonging a detention of the 64-year-old executive, which has drawn international scrutiny of Japan's justice system. Ghosn had promised to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, give up his passport and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors in his latest attempt to gain release from a Tokyo detention center. His family said they will appeal. Ghosn has been in custody since Nov. 19. He had a bail hearing Monday. A Tokyo court rejected an earlier request for bail last week. Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, has been charged with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his compensation from Nissan over eight years, and with breach of trust, centering on allegations Ghosn had Nissan temporarily shoulder his personal investment losses and pay a Saudi businessman. Ghosn has said he is innocent, explaining that the alleged compensation was never decided, Nissan didn't suffer losses and the payment was for legitimate services. His wife, Carole Ghosn, appealed for his release through Human Rights Watch earlier this month, saying Ghosn's treatment has been harsh and unfair. Her views echo widespread criticism of Japan's criminal justice system both inside and outside Japan. Suspects who insist they are innocent get held longer. Suspects are held in a cell and routinely grilled daily by investigators without a lawyer present, although lawyers are allowed to visit. Ghosn's lawyer Motonari Ohtsuru has acknowledged Ghosn's release may not come until the trial, which may be six months away. A date for the trial has not been set. Nissan officials say an internal investigation has found that Ghosn had schemes to hide his income and that he used company money and assets for personal gain. A special committee Nissan set up after Ghosn's arrest to strengthen governance held its first meeting Sunday. Seiichiro Nishioka, a former judge and co-chair, told reporters after the meeting that Ghosn had shown questionable ethics, and too much power within the company had been focused in one person. The committee's findings are due by late March. Ghosn's pay was long a sticking point in Japan, where executives generally get paid far less than their American and other Western counterparts.

2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport shows its big, new face in America

The 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport initially showed us its new sheetmetal at the Geneva Motor Show, but we got a chance to check out the vehicle in the flesh at the company's research and development center in Ann Arbor, Mich., today. Nearly everything we learned about the Outlander Sport (known as the ASX in other markets) before applies to the North American version of the vehicle. However, one aspect we were uncertain of was the continued presence of the manual transmission. We asked, and Mitsubishi is officially dropping the stick shift version of the Outlander Sport with this update. It was previously only available on the base trim level, exclusively paired with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Mitsubishi was one of the last holdouts to offer a manual transmission option in the small crossover market, and now they're officially out. Three-pedal versions of the Outlander Sport represented just 2% of total model sales, so the business case just wasn't there anymore. We confirmed that the powertrains from the 2019 model year car will carry over to the 2020 Outlander Sport, which means you'll have the choice between the 148 horsepower 2.0-liter or the 168 horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder. Both engines are paired to a CVT. Of course, all-wheel drive will also continue to be available optionally. The big changes are in the styling that Mitsubishi thinks will make it stand out among competitors. Looking at the crossover directly in the face gives us a real truck-like and rugged vibe. This is where Mitsubishi put most of its eggs, appealing to folks who want a tougher looking vehicle. To our eyes, the execution comes off as a bit haphazard, lacking in cohesiveness with the sheer number of things going on. There's gray satin plastic, piano black plastic and flat black plastic all hanging out next to each other. Then the "shield" sort of juts outward at us, standing in stark contrast with the shiny reflective surfaces on either side of it. Judge for yourself, but the previous design was slick and much simpler than this mash up. Mitsubishi kept things relatively subdued out back, and we like the evolution of the taillights and rear bumper here. There isn't much to speak about down the sides other than a different wheel design and a small fake vent added. One could argue the interior was the Outlander Sport's sorest point, but sadly Mitsubishi chose to neglect this part of the car.