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Mitsubishi Mirage bows in Montreal without a name, Canadian sales promised

The Detroit Auto Show had plenty of major debuts for North American car buyers, but the Montreal Auto Show is being used for the North American debut of a new subcompact hatchback from Mitsubishi. Although this car is unnamed, it is almost identical to the redesigned Mirage we saw back at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show (and has been on sale in Asian markets such as Thailand since last year), but it is unclear if the car will carry this name when it goes on sale for our neighbors to the north starting this fall.
Aside from a slightly less annoying shade the of green we saw the car painted in at the Tokyo show, there are a few changes made for the car's Canadian debut. The biggest difference is that it is almost three inches longer, which is likely a result of the new rear fascia that is also visually different with some altered lines and small, circular reflectors. Other changes include a bigger three-cylinder engine (with a 1.2-liter displacement instead of the Tokyo car's 1.0-liter engine) and headlights that have new amber lenses for side reflectors.
There is still no word as to whether or not we'll see this new car in Mitsubishi's US lineup anytime soon, but it does seem like a good competitor against cars like that Mazda2, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai Accent.

Macron and Abe seek to avert messy Renault-Nissan breakup

TOKYO/PARIS – France and Japan's leaders met for bilateral talks to avert a diplomatic row over the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance on Friday following the surprise arrest of its Chairman Carlos Ghosn in Japan. With the carmaking alliance facing its biggest test after the ousting of Ghosn at Nissan and affiliate Mitsubishi over financial misconduct allegations, President Emmanuel Macron sat down with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Ghosn's arrest to face accusations including the under-reporting of income has triggered new attempts by Nissan to weaken Renault's control of the Franco-Japanese alliance, adding to challenges facing Macron at home. Macron, whose government has repeatedly pressed Japan to share evidence unearthed by Nissan's internal investigation into Ghosn, "restated his firm wish that the alliance should be preserved, along with the stability of the group," an Elysee official said after Friday's meeting with Abe. Abe said it was important to "maintain a stable relationship," according to a spokesman for the Japanese leader. "However, he said the future of the alliance is up to the private-sector shareholders. The government of Japan does not prejudge the future of the alliance," the spokesman said. The French official quoted Abe as telling Macron that "the legal process must be allowed to take its course." LEADERLESS Tokyo authorities on Friday extended Ghosn's detention for a second time, by the maximum-allowed 10 days, local media reported. Prosecutors must file charges by Dec. 10 or arrest Ghosn for new crimes to hold him beyond that date. Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment. Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ghosn's detention has left the global auto alliance without its leader and main interlocutor with the French government, which owns 15 percent of Renault and wants to maintain the ownership structure enshrining its control of the partnership. But Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa has made clear that Nissan wants to weaken the control of its smaller parent as it carries out a governance review. Renault's 43.4 percent Nissan stake ensures an effective voting majority at shareholder meetings, while Nissan's reciprocal 15 percent Renault holding carries no voting rights.

Autoblog Podcast #357

Episode #357 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Jeff Ross are joined by Jeff Glucker of Hooniverse.com. Topics include the SEMA Show, the Cadillac CTS being named the Motor Trend Car of the Year, Mitsubishi's near-term plans and the 2015 Subaru WRX. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
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