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Mitsubishi to offer new Galant, Montero in US?

We admit it - we've been skeptical about Mitsubishi's fortunes here in the US for a long time now, and this month's reveal of the 2014 Mirage subcompact at the New York Auto Show didn't do much to quell our consternation. Yes, the Mirage should attract a certain portion of the buying population based on what will likely be the best fuel economy figures in its segment and a low price, but the profitability of basic small cars is limited even under the best of circumstances. Mitsubishi is clearly going to need something meatier in its portfolio if it wants to get back on track financially.
Help appears to be on the way. According to The Detroit Free Press, Masatoshi Hasegawa, the company's executive vice president here in North America, has confirmed that at least two more models are destined for the company's US dealerships, and it looks like they're going to be entries into higher-volume, higher-margin segments. Hasegawa pledges that the company will overhaul its lineup over the next two to three years, and one of them will be a successor to the often-ignored Galant, a midsize sedan we last saw for the 2012 model year.
And what of the other model? Apparently it will be an unnamed "bigger brother" for the new 2014 Outlander, an acknowledgment that suggests Mitsubishi is considering bringing its Montero/Pajero SUV back to the States. Earlier this month, we heard a report that a next-generation model for the venerable off-roader remains a few years out, but it's possible Mitsubishi might import the current aging model before the new one is produced. A big shift is said to be in the works for the fifth-generation model, with a massive weight loss and possible plug-in hybrid variant tipped as top goals for the program.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV now for real due in 'late summer, early fall'

Any day now, American plug-in vehicle shoppers will be able to actually buy a plug-in hybrid SUV. Europeans and Japanese buyers have had this option for many years, since the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV went on sale in those markets in 2013. There have been plenty of diversions in the route that is bringing the big PHEV to our shores, but it's looking like, "late summer, early fall," is when thing will for real happen. 10-20 percent of total Outlander sales would be "a very good number." That's the message from Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA), who we spoke to at the New York Auto Show where the PHEV made its debut appearance. Swearingen said that the dealers are as ready as the customers. "As we talked to our dealer council, they are all very interested in this product," he said. "[Range anxiety was] eliminated with this vehicle, and because of that, I think we are going to have some pretty good response." Swearingen didn't put a specific number to that claim, but said that 10-20 percent of total Outlander sales (which currently sit at around 2,000 a month) would be "a very good number." Previously, Mitsubishi representatives said they expected to sell 4,000 PHEV units in the first year. As we've documented over the years, there were a number of reasons for why the US didn't get the first batch of Outlander PHEVs. One of the big ones was that the PHEV was selling like gangbusters elsewhere. It's the best-selling PHEV in all of Europe, for example, and was the fourth-best-selling plug-in vehicle anywhere in February 2016. And Mitsubishi just couldn't make enough of them. Swearingen said the main bottleneck for this was the battery pack supplier Lithium Energy Japan, which didn't have the capacity to make more than it did. So, instead of leaving three markets without enough supply, Mitsubishi decided to leave one in the lurch and focus on the other two. Plus, since the Outlander PHEV will be based on the 2017 gas-powered Outlander, it will come with numerous safety enhancements as well as the 100+ improvements that the 2016 Outlander got compared to the 2015. In other words, all the pieces are all coming together. The Outlander PHEV is "the best of both worlds." - Francine Harsini At least, that's what Francine Harsini, MMNA's senior director of marketing, said. The final important part are the customers, and Harsini said that Mitsubishi will be a big national marketing push. The general theme?

Camaro Z/28 and Mitsubishi Starion meet in this nostalgic vision of '87 Japan

The '80s is just far enough away now that it no longer seems like an era defined by Reagonomics and neon clothing. Filmmaker Matt Clark has embraced the look of the music videos of the decade in his new short film titled Orange Orchid, set in 1987 in Chiba and Yokohama, Japan. The video features some great sports coupes of the time and is set to the song I Know There's Something Going On from Abba-alum Frida (along with drumming and backup vocals from Phil Collins).
Clark really embraces the pop-culture look of the era's videos with big hair, a healthy dash of neon, inexplicable smoky rooms and big, over-wrought movements. However, the real stars for us are the pair of '80s sports coupes that also kind of personify the main characters. Nijo in her denim jacket has a modded Camaro Z/28 with huge, dished wheels sticking way out past the fenders. Naturally, the Chevy also features some great butterscotch paint and a car phone inside. Alex, the guy pursuing her, forgoes any obvious upgrades in favor a clean, all-white Mitsubishi Starion to go along with his tailored suit and giant cell phone.
We wish this video featured the cars a bit more prominently, but that drumbeat from Collins on this forgotten 80s gem is pretty fantastic, too. Give it a listen in the video.