2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution on 2040-cars

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Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety

Mitsubishi boss labels French minister a "retard" for "ruining the lives of motorists" [UPDATE]

Arnaud Montebourg (pictured), French Minister of Industrial Recovery, was recently the target of a rather despicable slur at the hands of Mitsubishi France's leader, Jean-Claude Debard.
Frustrated by Montebourg's attempts to encourage the purchase of lower emitting vehicles and discourage use of high-emission vehicles - by way of tax breaks and tax hikes, respectively - Debard reportedly used the occasion of a new product launch to call the minister "stupid," a "mental case" and a "retard" before members of the media. Here's the full quote, as reported by the French newspaper La Provence by way of The Telegraph:
"This mental case, this retard, increases ecological taxes, reduces the speed motorists can go on Paris' ring road and ruins the life of motorists from all social origins all suffer as a result of him. He is stupid and understands nothing, you can quote me on that."

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S shows what a facelift can do [w/video]

Sometimes you need a second chance to get things right. Technologically, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a pretty cool vehicle, with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and additional electric motors providing more thrust. However, the CUV never really looked the part for all of its innovation. The Mitsubishi designers are taking another crack with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, and the vehicle shows what a massive improvement some tweaks can make.
The most obvious of these changes is the completely different front end with a more vertical design. The headlights are reshaped with LED running lights outlining them, and the new airdam that puts a massive X right on the front grille in black and chrome with some more LEDs down below. The designers don't stop there and have a major revision to the rear with taillights running all the way across. Inside, there's black wood grain trim and leather seats.
The update takes the CUV from boring to somewhat exciting, and the even better news is that some of these updates might make it to a rumored refresh in 2016 that could even come here. Scroll down to watch Mitsubishi's teaser video for the Concept-S with more views of it and the company's full press release.