1995 Mitsubishi Montero on 2040-cars

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Question of the Day: Most heinous act of badge engineering?

Badge engineering, in which one company slaps its emblems on another company's product and sells it, has a long history in the automotive industry. When Sears wanted to sell cars, a deal was made with Kaiser-Frazer and the Sears Allstate was born. Iranians wanted new cars in the 1960s, and the Rootes Group was happy to offer Hillman Hunters for sale as Iran Khodro Paykans. Sometimes, though, certain badge-engineered vehicles made sense only in the 26th hour of negotiations between companies. The Suzuki Equator, say, which was a puzzling rebadge job of the Nissan Frontier. How did that happen? My personal favorite what-the-heck-were-they-thinking example of badge engineering is the 1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket. Chrysler Europe, through its ownership of the Rootes Group, was able to ship over Hillman Avanger subcompacts for sale in the US market. This would have made sense... if Chrysler hadn't already been selling rebadged Mitsubishi Colt Galants (as Dodge Colts) and Simca 1100s as (Simca 1204s) in its American showrooms. Few bought the Cricket, despite its cheery ad campaign. So, what's the badge-engineered car you find most confounding? Chrysler Dodge Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Suzuki Automotive History question of the day badge engineering question

Mitsubishi off-road concepts head to Tokyo Auto Salon

While the focus on this side of the Pacific has been on CES and the Detroit Auto Show, over in Japan they're gearing up for the Tokyo Auto Salon. Most of the other Japanese automakers have already shown us what they have in store for the tuner expo, and now it's Mitsubishi's turn. This year, Mitsubishi will showcase two pairs of custom creations. They're all focused on the great outdoors, but two take more of an adventuring approach while the other two are geared towards camping. Two are based on the Outlander PHEV and the other two on the Delica D5 minivan. The Outdoor Gear concepts feature matte pearl white paintjobs with orange trim, black interiors with orange trim, and mesh fabric seats with grippy suede trim. The Outlander version rides on 20-inch wheels with off-road tires, a spoiler, and a bike rack on the roof. The Delica gets a carbon-style front bumper, LED daytime running lights, brush guards, and 16-inch wheels. The Active Camper concepts feature 20-inch wheels and matte silver paint with a black camo pattern – a treatment which continues inside. Here the Outlander features a new body kit, adjustable suspension, a roof box, and 1,500 watts of auxiliary power. The Delica version features a sportier grille, brush guards, and a convertible cabin space with room for two. They'll be displayed alongside a replica of the Outlander PHEV rally machine which Mitsubishi is fielding at the Baja Portalegre 500. But these are just some of the goodies in store for the Tokyo Auto Salon this year, which promises all the JDM action you could shake a carbon-fiber stick at. The doors open at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City on Friday and will stay open through the weekend. Featured Gallery Mitsubishi at 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon News Source: Mitsubishi Tokyo Auto Salon Mitsubishi Crossover Minivan/Van Concept Cars Off-Road Vehicles mitsubishi delica

Mitsubishi brings back the Eclipse as a crossover

The rumors were correct. Mitsubishi announced Tuesday its new crossover will be called the Eclipse Cross. Based on the company's statements, the idea is this crossover has coupe-like style, which is why Mitsubishi chose the name of its well-known Eclipse two-door. In this form, however, it will also be a practical crossover – hence the Cross name. Mitsubishi also released a few more teaser images that reveal a fair amount of the sport-ute. From what we can tell, the design closely follows that of the XR-PHEV II concept shown at Geneva two years ago. While the Eclipse Cross is certainly toned down compared with that concept, it still shares the basic grille treatment, side character line, taillights, and rear glass design. We'll admit we're sad to see the name of a classic Japanese sports coupe take up residence on a small sport utility vehicle. In part because it just doesn't seem quite appropriate. But, also because it means we won't see a sports car with the name. Of course, Mitsubishi could go a long way to making us feel better by making, say, a high-performance, all-wheel-drive version of this crossover. It could be called Eclipse Cross GSX. Feel free to use that idea, Mitsubishi. Related Video: