2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Se Special Ed 5 Spd Sunroof 54k Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Autoblog Minute: VW finds CO2 'irregularities', Takata dropped by automakers, SEMA recap

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal gets a new wrinkle, US regulators hit Takata Corporation with a substantial fine, and we head to Las Vegas for a look at tuner paradise at the 2015 SEMA show. Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal gets a new wrinkle. US regulators issue a significant fine to Takata Corporation. And we take a peek inside tuner paradise at the 2015 SEMA show. I'm senior editor Greg Migliore and this is your Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. The VW diesel emissions scandal, first brought to light in September, gets a new wrinkle, as an internal investigation by the German automaker revealed [00:00:30] irregularities in CO2 emissions that could affect approximately 800,000 vehicles. VW estimates the issue could pose a 2-billion euro economic risk. VW claims that most of the vehicles affected have diesel engines, but industry analysts say a 1.4-liter gas engine is also affected. VW says that fuel consumption figures were set too low during the CO2 certification process. During all of this, sales of some diesel-powered Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche models [00:01:00] have been halted. Takata Corporation is back in the news in connection with its deadly airbag scandal. Federal regulators fined Takata $70 million. If the parts supplier does not comply, the fine could balloon to $200 million. Takata was also dropped this week by its biggest customer, Honda. And now, Toyota and Mazda will be following Honda's lead in dropping Takata. We're also hearing that Mitsubishi and Subaru are considering a switch in air-bag inflator suppliers. SEMA 2015 [00:01:30] came and went. We saw offerings from Mopar, like the AWD Challenger concept. Honda unveiled a Ridgeline that it will race at the Baja 1000, which gives us a hint at what future production model could look like. The celebrity presence was also felt in Vegas as it always is. Kid Rock brought a Duramax Diesel Chevy Silverado, and Acura restored and presented Ludacris with his now famous 1993 Acura Legend. Those are the highlights from the week that was. Be sure to come back on Saturday for my full recap, [00:02:00] where I'll have some added insight into Hyundai's foray into the luxury sector. For Autoblog, I'm Greg Migliore. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive.

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi pool $200 million to invest in tech startups

PARIS — The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is setting up a $200 million mobility tech fund, three sources said, in the latest move by major carmakers to adapt to rapid industry change by investing in startups through their own venture capital arms. The fund, due to be unveiled by Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn at the CES tech industry show in Las Vegas next Tuesday, will be 40 percent financed by Renault, 40 percent by Nissan and 20 percent by Mitsubishi. "It will allow us to move faster on acquisitions ahead of our competition," one of the alliance sources told Reuters. Frederique Le Greves, a spokeswoman for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, declined to comment. The traditional auto industry model based on individual ownership is threatened by pay-per-use services such as Uber, as well as ride- and car-sharing platforms, a challenge heightened by parallel shifts towards electrified and self-driving cars. Wary carmakers are struggling to embrace changes and technologies that some of their executives are only beginning to grasp. To accelerate the process, many are investing directly in the new services — and gaining access to intellectual property — via their own corporate venture capital (CVC) funds. BMW has purchased stakes in a plethora of ride-sharing, smart-charging and autonomous vehicle software firms through its 500 million euro ($600 million) iVentures fund, the biggest such in-house facility belonging to a carmaker. Among others that have been increasingly active are General Motors' GM Ventures, with $240 million, and Peugeot-maker PSA Group's 100 million-euro investment arm. CVC funds, a familiar feature of innovative sectors such as tech and pharmaceuticals, have become more commonplace among carmakers since the 2008-9 financial crisis. They let companies skip some of the formalities otherwise required for new investments, and pounce more swiftly on promising startups. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi venture will also obviate the current need to thrash out the ownership split for each new alliance acquisition. It represents a further step in the integration of the carmakers as they pursue 10 billion euros in annual synergies by 2022. France's Renault holds a 43.4 percent stake in Nissan, which in turn controls Mitsubishi. Ghosn heads Renault and chairs all three.

Mitsubishi recalling 166k cars, crossovers over stall risk

Mitsubishi is recalling 165,923 vehicles in the US because it's possible for the drive belt to detach from their engines, potentially causing a stall. Specifically, the campaign covers 2008-2011 model-year examples of the Lancer, Lancer Evolution (pictured above) and Outlander as well as the 2009-2011 Lancer Sportback and 2011 Outlander Sport. All of the affected models use some version of the brand's 4B1 four-cylinder engine.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the engine pulley can wear causing the drive belt to slip off. If this happens, the alternator, cooling fan and hydraulic power steering can all stop working, and obviously, any of those things could make driving unsafe. However, if the belt detaches, then a warning light should come on in the cabin.
To fix the problem, Mitsubishi dealers will replace the original belt with a redesigned rubber part and will inspect the pulley. If worn, it'll also be replaced free of charge.