New Gen Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit

Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.

Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).

Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.

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Mercedes-Benz Tops Secret Shopper Study of U.S. Dealers, Lincoln Places Last in Luxury Segment

Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.

This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.

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Mitsubishi Updates i-MiEV, Slashes Prices and Increases Autonomy

The electric car war rages on and the latest entrant is Mitsubishi’s new model year version of the i-MiEV that was revealed today in Japan. The most important changes that Mitsubishi made to its all-electric city car is the introduction of a new lower-cost base model and improvements to the standard version in order to extend its driving range.

The new budget model is called the ‘M’ and its price comes down to 2.6 million Yen (US$32,070 -€22,170) or 1,880,000 Yen (US$23,190 - €16,040) after Japanese government subsidies. It is powered by an electric motor producing 41-horses and has a reduced driving range of 120 kilometers (75 miles).

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Mitsubishi i EV Priced from $20,490 in the U.S., Close to $5,000 Less than Nissan’s Leaf

The main reason for which Mitsubishi will drop the Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant models from its U.S. range is to focus on developing zero-emissions vehicles like the Mitsubishi i (also known as the i-MiEV in Europe). The Japanese carmaker announced at the New York Auto Show that the plug-in EV will arrive in U.S. showrooms in November 2011, with prices starting from $20,490 (€14,100) for the standard ES model and $22,490 for the better-equipped ES version, government subsidies included. Read more »

Last Stand: Mitsubishi Sends Off Eclipse with 2012 SE Special Edition Series

Produced since 2006, the fourth generation Mitsubishi Eclipse is nearing the end of its career and to mark the occasion, the Japanese manufacturer has announced a final special edition for the Coupe and Spyder models.

As Mitsubishi will cease production of the Eclipse after the upcoming 2012 model year without offering a replacement model, the SE Special Edition is the manufacturer's way of saying goodbye to a model series produced since 1989.

All Eclipse trim levels (GS, GS Sport and GT) will be available as SE Special Edition versions which includes “SE” side decals, black side mirrors and 18-inch dark finish alloy wheels, along with the high-end standard features available on the Eclipse GS Sport versions of both the coupe and convertible models.

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Japanese Carmakers Lose More than 500,000 Vehicles to Earthquake, Toyota hit the Worst

It’s been over a month since the first of a series of earthquakes along with a catastrophic tsunami hit Japan’s shores resulting in devastating destruction and flooding, but the country is still feeling the effects in more ways than one.

According to a news report, Japan’s big seven automakers have lost more than half a million units of output since the March 11 quake. To make matters worse, even though many factories opened recently, they have not yet reached their full production capacity due to a lack of parts.

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VIDEO: The Ultimate Taxi Ride in a Rally-Spec Mitsubishi Lancer EVO

In a perfect world for gear-heads, a sweet taxi ride would involve a high performance sports car, preferably a racing model, and a qualified driver. Unfortunately, the WRC-like Mitsubishi Lancer EVO taxi seen in the video after the jump exists only in fantasy, as this clip is a commercial for a new 4G mobile broadband plan from Norwegian cell phone operator Netcom. Click past the jump to watch the ad. Read more »

VIDEO: The Stig Goes Donuts in a Lancer EVO 9-Based London Taxi Cab at the Top Gear Festival

We don’t know the identity of the man hiding behind the white racing helmet at the ‘Top Gear Festival 2011’, but The Stig sure knows how to work the steering wheel. Of course, being that the black London taxi cab you see in the video after the jump is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, does help a bit. You see, what looks on the outside like a normal black London taxi cab, is in fact a re-skinned Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 crafted by the folks over at SHP Engineering.

The company started with a Lancer EVO 9 with just 1,500 miles on the odo and stripped it down to the bare bones. The body shell of a London Taxi Cab was then dropped on top creating the most innocent EVO we have ever seen to date. Follow the jump to watch it in some awe-inspiring donut action.

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Honda, Nissan and Toyota Donate $3.75 Million Each for Earthquake Relief in Japan

The massive earthquake followed by the even more devastating tsunami that struck the north-east coasts of Japan last week has brought together the country’s biggest automakers including Honda, Nissan and Toyota, which announced today that they will donate $3.75 million each for relief and recovery efforts in communities affected by the disaster.

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Mitsubishi to Phase Out Most of its U.S.-made Models by 2014

Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko today announced that the automaker will kill most of its current lineup of U.S.-made vehicles by 2014, as part of the company's “Jump 2013” mid-term business plan. The decision affects the Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder sports cars, Endeavor crossover and Galant sedan, which are going to be replaced with global vehicles built at the manufacturer’s Illinois plant. The Outlander crossover, Outlander Sport small crossover and Lancer sedan will provide the underpinnings for the new models.

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Mitsubishi Lifts the Wraps on New Global Small Concept before Geneva Salon Debut

It all started with a teaser sketch in early December '10, but today, Mitsubishi released the first real life photo of its Concept Global Small vehicle. The design study previews an upcoming subcompact model that is planned for production in March of 2012 at the Japanese firm's new third factory in Thailand, which will have an initial capacity for around 150,000 units per year.

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Mitsubishi CS Design Concept for a Sporty-Looking Colt Replacement by Gábor Farkas

What you see here is a very well executed and almost production ready-looking concept study penned as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Colt supermini, which was sent to Carscoop by independent designer Gábor Farkas. Called the Mitsubishi CS, the Ford Fiesta-sized concept model blends select styling cues from the Japanese brand's most recent models such as the Lancer's so-called shark nose with an aggressive body shape boasting curvalicious details. Read more »

Japan’s Economic Future in Doubt: A National Introspective

It’s not been a good year for Japan. China has recently overtaken the Land of the Rising Sun as the world’s second biggest economic power and a recall of over ten million vehicles by one of the nation’s biggest and most respectable companies, Toyota, kicked off a global PR debacle that some analysts predict will take years to recover from.

Add to that Japan’s aging population, its growing national debt and heavy reliance on manufacturing, all of which are effectively killing what was once thought destined to be the world’s leading economic superpower. The departure of its fourth Prime Minister in three years and a nasty diplomatic row with China over the detention of a trawler captain by the Japanese Coast Guard is also hurting.

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Suzuki Launches New Solio Small Wagon in Japan, will Also be Available by Mitsubishi

Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. on Friday unveiled its new domestic market Solio, a tall mini wagon that will go on sale in the country in early January. The Solio measures 3,710mm in length and will be available exclusively with a 1.2-liter gasoline engine producing 91HP, linked to a CVT and either front- or optionally, four-wheel drive. The Japanese automaker said it targets domestic yearly sales of around 12,000 units.

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Nissan and Mitsubishi Plan Deeper Ties, Expand OEM Projects

Japan's Nissan Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors today announced that they plan to deepen their business ties by establishing a new minicar joint venture in Japan and further expanding their OEM projects, to save costs and increase their competitiveness in the global car industry.

Under the new agreement, the automakers will build more cars for each other under what is known in the industry as an "original equipment manufacturer" or OEM partnership.

In particular, Nissan will provide a light van/wagon to Mitsubishi for the Japanese domestic market, while Mitsubishi will offer an SUV to Nissan for markets in the Middle East. In addition, discussions are ongoing for Nissan to provide Mitsubishi with upper-end segment models for the Japanese domestic market.

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FAIL: 2 Fast, 2 Furious Lancer Evo VII Breaks Free Of Dyno In Puerto Rico [Video]

Dynamometers, or dynos for short, are a useful tool in any racer’s arsenal. By applying some basic physical principles, a dyno can calculate the amount of horsepower and torque being transferred from the wheels to the track, without ever needing to leave the safety of the garage.

So here’s the scoop (according to the posters): some students at Mech-Tech College in Ponce, Puerto Rico were putting a Lancer Evolution VII through its paces on the school’s dyno, when disaster struck. Everything seems normal until 16 seconds in, when the Lancer careens to the left and slides off. Of course, it was all captured on video for our edification.

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Mitsubishi Sketches New Low Cost Global Small Car

A new small car will soon join the ranks of Mitsubish's passenger car lineup. Teased in these renderings for the first time, the "global small" vehicle will be produced in a new factory currently being built in Thailand and will go on sale at the end of next year.

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Toyota and Honda Hold Back as the Rest of Japan’s Automakers Go Electric

The electric vehicle market in Japan is now burgeoning. Once the mainstay of small independents building low speed, short range Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs), major manufacturers including Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru are now hopping on the EV train in the hopes of raking in some greenie revenue.

With its U.S. launch mere weeks away, Nissan already has 6,000 orders in Japan and a further 20,000 in the United States for its lithium-ion powered Leaf EV. The automaker has so many orders, in fact, that they won’t be taking any more.

As you would expect, Nissan Chief Operating Office Toshiyuki Shiga is one happy man: "We believe this will be the beginning of the new era for the world's automobile industry, as well as a sustainable low-carbon society.”

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Proton Shows Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X Lookalike Concept of Inspira with 240HP Turbo Engine

The 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show at the Putra World Trade Centre in Malaysia saw local automaker and owner of Lotus, Proton, revealing a host of concept models including a sport prototype of the recently launched Inspira called the Jebat. Needless to say, it's clearly inspired from the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X.

As you may remember, the Inspira is a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer sedan and is the result of an OEM collaboration between the Malaysian automaker and Mitsubishi Japan. However, we're not so sure if Mitsubishi had this in mind when it was signing the agreement with Proton.

In any case, the Jebat study, which could very well lead to a similar production model, features a wide body kit with blistered wheel arches and splashes of matte black paint all around the car. Power is provided by a turbocharged 4-cylinder MiVEC engine producing 237HP (177kW) at 6,000 rpm and 343Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm.

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LA Auto Show: Mitsubishi i gets westernized by fattening up, Priced from around $30,000

The North American i-MiEV is finally here to help rally the Mitsubishi troops in what has to be one of the company's final attempts to stay afloat here in the the States. The US i will be sold strictly as an electric vehicle and use Mitsubishi's innovative Electric Vehicle system (MiEV).

The company plans to roll out the "i" to West Coast dealers (specifically California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii) in November 2011, with the Northeast getting access by March 2012, followed by nationwide availability by the end of 2012. According to Mitsubishi, the U.S.-spec model's MSRP is expected to be around $30,000, not including Federal and available state financial incentives. For the record, the larger Nissan Leaf EV has an MSRP of $32,780, again, not including any tax cuts.

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