2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor Suv Xls Awd Gray, Power Driver's Seat, Sliding Sun Roof on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV could hint at next-gen Montero [w/video]

In desperate need of some competitive new products, Mitsubishi showed up at the Tokyo Motor Show with three concept vehicles. The most important of them might just be this fullsize Concept GC-PHEV (Grand Cruiser). With its full-time four-wheel-drive system and roughly the right package size, we can only hope it hints at a future design for the Pajero/Montero.
Longer, taller and wider than the current Pajero (which is still offered in other markets), the Concept GC-PHEV is a big SUV with a fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid powertrain. A 335-horsepower, 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission are paired with a 94-hp electric motor and high-capacity battery to provide some serious brawn in a green wrapper. The result is targeted fuel consumption of 15 kilometers/liter on the Japanese cycle (around 35 miles per gallon) to go with an all-electric driving range of more than 25 miles.
Mitsubishi's styling team has arguably done a much better job with this Tokyo trio than we've seen from recent new products like the Outlander and Mirage, possibly suggesting a future design language for the automaker. In true concept car fashion, the design is Concept GC-PHEV is over the top, but it's not hard to imagine a vehicle of this size with similar cues gracing the Mitsubishi lineup at some point in the near future. Likewise, while the concept's interior only seats four, the sheer size of this vehicle could easily allow three rows of seats for a production model.

Mitsubishi NA gets new president and CEO

Last week, we told you that Mitsubishi will be getting a new global president, with Osamu Masuko stepping aside in favor of Tesuro Aikawa. The executive changes at the Japanese automaker are hitting closer to home, now, with official word that Mitsubishi Motors North America is getting a new president and CEO, as well. Effective March 1, Ryujiro Kobashi will take over for Yoichi Yokozawa, 49, who has been in charge since April of 2011. Yokozawa is headed back to Japan, where he will assume a spot in the company's corporate planning offices.
Kobashi, 53, has been with Mitsubishi since 1983 when he was fresh out of college. Previous to taking the top job in North America, he was installed as corporate general manager of the NA office at Mitsubishi's headquarters in Japan, where he coordinated regional operations for the US, Canada and Mexico. Before that, he held posts in planning, marketing, advertising and public relations for the company.
Kobashi takes over the company's North American operations at a pivotal time, when the region is finally showing signs of life after a prolonged period of stagnation. As Automotive News notes, Mitsubishi only sold 62,227 vehicles in the US in 2013, but that figure still represents an eight-percent increase. Its crossovers, the new-for-2014 Outlander and the two-year-old Outlander Sport have been selling relatively well, and the affordable Mirage subcompact is a new arrival at dealers.

Mitsubishi XR-PHEV Concept is a chronicle of an Outlander Sport foretold [w/video]

Mitsubishi's current Outlander Sport has done a yeoman's job since it came on the market for the 2011 model year. The affordable crossover has been one of the few bright spots in the perennially troubled automaker's lineup - it's the brand's best seller in the US and sales are up nearly 40 percent this year. The subcompact CUV has become an increasingly important part of the Mitsubishi lineup, which is why you should pay attention to this XR-PHEV Concept - it's said to presage the next-generation model.
Stylistically, this is a pretty bold little CUV, with a striking face framed by bold zig-zags of chrome that underline the narrow headlamps and frame the massive lower fascia. The profile has a dramatically tapered greenhouse with bold sheetmetal contours and a funky blacked-out A-pillar that emphasizes the hood's height. The rear end is no less dramatic, with dual-pane rear tailgate with a particularly fast rake.
As shown here, the XR-PHEV (pronounced "Cross Runner") is a four-seat CUV that motivates its front wheels through a turbocharged 1.1-liter, three-cylinder engine with 134 horsepower paired with a 120-kW electric motor. In pure-electric mode, the 14-kWh battery is said to be good for 52 miles of cruising range and the combined fuel economy bogey is 66 miles per gallon on Japan's lenient testing cycle.