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2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Practice Day 4

The fourth and final practice day of the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is complete. Tomorrow everyone will make any last-minute adjustments and get their cars, their bits and bobs lined up in the pits for Sunday morning's this-time-it-counts run.
The Unlimited runners took on the top section of the course today, Sébastien Loeb and his big-mouth Peugeot acing the practice test again with a time of 2:11. Rhys Millen's team proved its got the engine issues of two days ago in the Hyundai PM580T sorted out, posting the next-best time at 2:27.16. The reason we had to dip all the way into the hundredths for his time is because he nipped Romain Dumas by just .31 of them, the Frenchman in the Norma M20FC PP running the course in 2:27.47. In fourth came the Frenchman in the monster Mini, Jean-Philippe Dayraut six seconds back at 2:33.
Time Attack competitors, also on the upper section, were led by Paul Dallenbach in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe with a time of 2:36, Porsche pilot Jeff Zwart crossing the line six seconds later at 2:42, fellow Porsche driver David Donner coming in another six seconds back at 2:48. Dallenbach has topped three of the four practice-day sessions, sliding into the second spot behind Donner only on Practice Day 2.

Carlos Ghosn was on verge of release — so prosecutors file new allegation

TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust against Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Friday, dashing his hopes for posting bail quickly. Ghosn and another former Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, were arrested Nov. 19 and charged with underreporting Ghosn's income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) in 2011-2015. They also face the prospect of more charges of underreporting Ghosn's income for other years by nearly 10 billion ($80 million) in total. The breach of trust allegations were filed a day after a court rejected prosecutors' request for a longer detention of both men. The new allegation only applies to Ghosn, and Kelly could still be bailed out. A request for bail by Kelly's lawyer is pending court approval, according to the Tokyo District Court, but his release will have to wait until next week since the request was still in process after office hours Friday. Prosecutors in a statement Friday alleged that Ghosn in 2008 transferred a private investment loss worth more than 1.8 billion yen ($16 million) to Nissan by manipulating an unspecified "swap" contract. Ghosn also profited by having the company transfer a total of $14.7 million to another company to benefit himself and that company's owner, who helped in the contract manipulation, prosecutors said. Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office, refuse to say if the two transactions were related or how Ghosn illegally profited. He also declined to identify the collaborator or whether the transactions were made overseas. Ghosn and Kelly are only charged with underreporting Ghosn's pay over five years, in violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. They have not been formally charged with an additional allegation of underreporting another 4 billion yen ($36 million) for 2016-2018, for which their first 10-day detention was to expire Thursday. Prosecutors have been criticized for separating the allegations as a tactic to detain Ghosn and Kelly longer. They say Ghosn and Kelly are flight risks. The maximum penalty for violating the financial act is up to 10 years in prison, a 10 million yen ($89,000) fine, or both. Breach of trust also carries a similar maximum penalty. The conviction rate in Japan is more than 99 percent for any crime. Ghosn was sent by Renault in 1999 to turn around Nissan, then on the verge of bankruptcy, and he led its rise to become the world's second-largest automaker.

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Drive | Nailing the sweet spot

SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. — For years now, while the Mitsubishi brand has languished here in the U.S., other parts of the world have been enjoying the Outlander PHEV. It's Europe's best-selling plug-in hybrid, and Mitsubishi has been improving on it over the years, testing it, refining the technology and punishing the vehicle in competitions like the Baja Portalegre 500 and the Asia Cross Country Rally. Now, as electric vehicles begin to gain greater acceptance, and as Mitsu turns its brand around, it will finally offer the Outlander PHEV in America at the end of this year. As Mitsubishi prepares to launch the Outlander PHEV stateside, we had the rare opportunity to drive it across the interior of Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles, to test it out on some rugged, scenic roads. Sitting inside the Outlander PHEV, we were actually pleased with the interior. It was simple and clean, and the plastics didn't feel especially cheap. Sure, it wasn't the thoughtful design or plush touch points of the other available plug-in crossovers on the market, but the Outlander PHEV also doesn't share the same price tag. We definitely found it to be more attractive and appealing than the inside of, say, a Chevrolet Equinox. If you were expecting a pile of hot garbage from Mitsubishi, you're way off. When we popped open the rear liftgate to take a look, we found our near-ideal tailgating vehicle. In the rear cargo area was a ton of space, a large speaker, cupholders and a standard three-prong outlet, perfect for plugging in a slow cooker, blender, or any other appliance you could find useful at a football game or campsite. Later, when we would take a break from our drive at Catalina Island's Shark Harbor, we'd be treated to a smoothie prepared in a blender plugged into that AC outlet. If you happen to use all 12 kWh of energy, the gas engine will fire up to serve as a generator. The Toyota 4Runner may have had the "Party Mode" button, but the Outlander PHEV would be our pick for the stadium parking lot. As we passed through a gate at the edge of the town of Avalon and headed up a dirt road across the interior of Catalina Island, we were quickly impressed with the way the Outlander PHEV handled the rocky, dusty trails from which most drivers are normally prohibited. The steering feel was light but communicative, and we were really able to tell what was going on between the front wheels and the rugged surface beneath them.