Not Eclipsed After All?

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is dead; long live the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Although production of the sports car has effectively ended after a small batch of 2012 models came off the line, many within the company are apparently pushing for the nameplate to return in the future.

Greg Adams, Vice President of marketing and product planning at Mitsubishi Motors North America, hinted to Ward’s Auto during a recent media event that the Eclipse may not be fully dead and gone, saying it “always comes back around sooner or later.”

The case for bringing the Eclipse bask may be tough, especially as Mitsubishi puts its focus more and more on smaller, global, and efficient vehicles. It doesn’t help that the Eclipse sold fewer than 7000 units through August of this year, shortly before Mitsubishi pulled the last unit off of the assembly line and auctioned it off for charity.

That’s a spectacular fall from grace: in 2002, just after it starred in The Fast and the Furious opposite Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, the Eclipse sold more than ten times that amount. Sales totaled a solid 72,040 units.

In any case, Adams said Mitsubishi’s tuned into the recently spiked demand for inexpensive sports cars. He’s right: a new Eclipse could battle against future sports cars like Subaru BRZ and Scion (Toyota) FR-S, as well as newer hot hatchbacks like the Ford Focus ST.

If more competition is what keeps the Eclipse from going to the great street race in the sky, we can’t complain.

Wireless Mitsubishi goes unplugged

Mitsubishi, makers of the all-electric mass-market MiEV, are on a mission to make charging electric cars easier than ever. The Japanese automaker has formed a partnership with WiTricity Corporation and IHI Corporation to develop wireless charging systems for electric cars. Mitsubishi are hoping to ultimately make plug-in charging obsolete.

WiTricity and IHI are two major players in wireless charging and electric infrastructure and it is hoped they can make it easier for drivers, governments and companies to roll out systems to charge cars without plugging in. There is also scope to add wireless charging services to places such as shopping centre car parks as well as homes and offices.

Wireless systems transfer energy from a source placed on or under the ground to a vehicle fitted with an energy capture device. Charging happens automatically when the car is parked with no physical contact between the car and the charging source.

This may sound a bit futuristic but the technology is already here with WiTricity having developed and brought to the market a patented magnetic resonance charging system. It can deliver 3.3kW of charging power over a distance of 20cm safely and easily.

The three companies have a plan of research, development, real-world testing and finally bringing to the world mass-market wireless car charging. Steps will include finding easy ways to incorporate wireless charging into existing EV charging infrastructure, clarifying any legal issues as well as testing the technology out in practical scenarios.

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2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 3dr Cpe Sportronic Auto GS

 

2003 Mitsubishi Galant ES 4dr Sdn ES 3.0L Auto

 

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS 4dr Sdn CVT GTS

 

 

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Mitsubishi Motors - Kids Safety First

Kids' Safety

Mitsubishi Motors and Kids Safety First, a national non-profit organization, have partnered in an effort to educate parents with children between the ages of 4 and 8 about the important role that booster seats play in preventing injuries, and to encourage parents to keep their children as safe as possible by using them.

Founded by Mitsubishi employees Jorgen Weterrings and PK Shrivastava in 2004, Kids Safety First is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting automotive child safety. The organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of booster seats and to educating parents about how these seats can prevent injuries and save children's lives.

What are Booster Seats?

Generally, children between the ages of 4 and 8 are not big enough to properly fit in a vehicle's lap and shoulder belts alone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that children within this age range, or children less than 4'9" tall who weigh between 35 and 80 lbs., should use a booster seat.

Booster seats raise the child so the vehicle lap and shoulder belt fits well - lap belt should rest low across the pelvis or hip area and the shoulder belt should cross the child's chest and rest snugly on the shoulder. Properly fitting lap and shoulder belts dramatically reduce the potential for belt-induced injury, which can occur when a lap belt is a child's only restraint.

How Effective are Booster Seats?

According to a study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), children between the ages of 4 and 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt. The same study found some startling booster seat usage statistics within this age range:

• 16 percent of 4-year-olds
• 13 percent of 5-year-olds
• 4 percent of 6- and 7-year-olds

According to the NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), there were 487 fatalities among child passengers age 4 to 7 in 2005.

Are Booster Seats Commonly Used?

Because many state laws only require children to be in a safety seat up to age 4, many parents assume older kids are safe in just an adult safety belt. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), booster seat usage is estimated at only 10 to 20 percent nationwide. Some other alarming statistics include:

• According to the 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey, only 21 percent of children ages 5 through 8 use booster seats, while another 19 percent use front-facing child safety seats. It also found that 15 percent of parents had not heard of booster seats.
• As determined at child passenger safety seat inspection stations across the country, more than 81 percent of child restraints are used incorrectly, including 88 percent of forward-facing toddler seats, 86 percent of rear-facing infant seats and 85 percent of safety belts.

What are Mitsubishi and Kids Safety First Doing About This Lack of Awareness?

Mitsubishi Motors North America and Kids Safety First have partnered to educate parents about the importance of placing children between the ages of 4 and 8 in a booster seat. Kids Safety First produces car seat safety materials that are distributed to police departments, community organizations and companies across the country at no cost. Mitsubishi is now working with Kids Safety First to make these materials available to consumers at Mitsubishi dealerships across the country.

Mitsubishi works with local dealerships, police departments and hospitals to conduct community events in select cities to educate parents about the importance of these life-saving car seats. Through these community events and charity donations, Mitsubishi has given away more than 12,000 booster seats.

Will you be attending Mitsubishi Owners Day on September 24th in Normal, IL?

Mitsubishi CX Concept

The Concept-cX demonstrates Mitsubishi Motors styling vision of the small SUV of the future. With features like the newly developed 1.8-liter clean diesel engine mated to a Twin Clutch SST (Sportronic Shift Transmission), the Concept-cX achieves high levels of road and environmental performance. The Mitsubishi Concept-cX provides the vision for the kind of off-road vehicle that only Mitsubishi could create.

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Power Train
Engine Type	4N13-type clean diesel engine
Displacement (cc)	1799cc
Transmission	Twin Clutch SST
Drive train	Electronically controlled 4WD
Max. output	100kW/4000 rpm
Max. torque	280Nm/2000 rpm
Fuel supply system	Common rail with solenoid injectors
Suspension, Wheels and Tires
Suspension	MacPherson strut / Multi-link
Tires	225/45R19
Steering system	Rack and pinion
Exterior Dimensions
Overall Length (mm)	4100
Overall Width (mm)	1750
Overall Height (mm)	1550
Wheelbase (mm)	2525
Track - Front (mm)	1510
Track - Rear (mm)	1510

2012 Mitsubishi iMiEV

When it comes to driving lean, clean and green, the "i" has it

There's a revolution under way, and it's being fought with volts and kilowatts. This is the new-age arsenal of which those shopping for electrically powered automobiles such as Mitsubishi's iMiEV will become increasingly familiar.

The iMiEV hatchback that's scheduled to arrive here in late 2011 joins the all-electric Nissan Leaf and Tesla roadster plus the gasoline-supported Chevrolet Volt as pioneers in the automotive clean-energy movement. Additional models, including the Mini e and Smart Fortwo Electric, are currently (pun intended) in limited production, while Ford's Transit Connect van and compact Focus will become electrified for the 2012 model year. Other automakers, both large and small, have similar plans to join the electric motorpool.

At this point, the iMiEV will be one of the smallest electrical offerings to be mass produced for general consumption. But in terms of accommodations and price, it should prove to be one of the more attractive.

The iMiEV's true purpose is also abundantly clear: a short-haul urban commuter pod that can also tackle more mundane chores. It will easily accommodate four adults as long as they're packing light. However with only the front seats in use, cargo capacity with the 50: 50 rear seatbacks folded flat matches the space available in the larger Nissan Leaf.

Another major difference between the iMiEV and the Leaf is that its 49kilowatt (66-horsepower) electric motor is located in the rear and directs its 145 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. The Leaf 's 107-horsepower front-mounted motor sends 207 poundfeet of torque to the front wheels.

The iMiEV's top speed is 130 km-h, but driving at that velocity for any length of time will quickly sap its 330-volt lithium-ion battery pack positioned beneath the passenger floor.

Mitsubishi places the typical range at about 135 kilometres per charge, less than the 160 kilometres claimed by the Leaf and other electrics.

Driving the iMiEV involves shifting the single-speed controller to one of three operating modes. The "D" position is for maximum performance, while "Eco" position increases battery life to the max. The "B" slot increases the amount of regenerative breaking to help replenish the batteries and stretch the range as much as possible.

A 240-volt home charging system will top up the iMiEV in about six hours. Plug it into a regular 120-volt home outlet, however, and it's an agonizingly long 22.5 hours. That doesn't leave much time in the day for driving.

What will eventually be needed is a network of public charging stations that allow all electric vehicle owners to top up the batteries in the shortest possible time.

The estimated $34,600 (excluding any government incentives) base iMiEV includes air conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors, heated driver's seat, all the requisite safety content and a four-speaker, 100-watt audio system.

At about $37,600 (also excluding incentives) the iMiEV Premium Package bumps up the content with fancier alloy wheels, fog lamps, two-tone instrument panel, upgraded seat covers and an eight-speaker, 360-watt sound system.

A Cold Zone package, consisting of a battery-warming system and heated side mirrors, is available on both models, while Premium Package buyers can opt for a navigation system, rear-view camera and the quick-charge DC port.

The lightweight (1,180 kilograms) and efficiently designed iMiEV is bound to succeed on price alone. The fact that its minimalist and futuristic styling will play well with the eco crowd should help keep Mitsubishi's green machine solidly in the black right from the outset.

Revolution? Ready, aim, charge.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW 2012 MITSUBISHI IMIEV

Type Four-door, rear-wheel-drive compact electric hatchback

Motor (hp) 49-kilowatt electric (66)

Transmission Single-speed controller

Market position Joining the growing crop of electric vehicles is Mitsubishi's small-car entry. The i has plenty of flair that sets it apart from the rest of the field and could be the kind of breakthrough model the automaker needs.

Points ? Deceptively clever and practical styling ? Currently the low-priced electric car leader. ? Forget about a full day to recharge using 120-volt plugin; opt for the 240-volt connection instead. ? Lengthy eight-year system warranty should ease buyer angst. ? Hopefully, the iMiEV brand will be expanded to include larger models with longer ranges.

Safety Front airbags; side-impact airbags; side-curtain airbags; anti-lock brakes; traction control; stability control.

L/100 km equivalent rating: n.a Base price (est., incl. destination): $34,600

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/cars/2012+Mitsubishi+iMiEV/5405576/story.html#ixzz1Y2B9hvL5

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Last Mitsubishi Eclipse to be Auctioned; Money to Japanese Red Cross

As the last Mitsubishi Eclipse, marked as a one-off version, goes off to auction; it will surely be missed by its avid fans. The car model also bears a combination of 3.8L/265 HP V-6 engine along with the commemorative Special Edition package. Contradictory, the members of the car manufacturer’s Facebook page has specifically chosen a Kalapana Black color which has been derived from the rich historical palette of the world renowned Mitsubishi vehicle.

This particular model has been fitted with unique graphics and special 18-inch Dark Agent alloy wheels. Moreover, it has been optimized with a 650W Rockford Fosgate 9 speaker audio system with Sirius XM, leather interior, hands free Bluetooth phone interface, sunroof, HID headlights and rear view camera. Truly, this makes the Eclipse a great buy!

For the past 22 years, Mitsubishi has received a favorable applause from the public with their production of the Eclipse. As a matter of fact, it has received its own status of cool that no other vehicle of its range comes close to. This is particularly true to the first two generations of the Eclipse model. In totality, Mitsubishi has been able to sell approximately 980,000 units of the Eclipse, placing it as one of the highest selling coupes throughout history.

But after producing the unsuccessful third generation redesign in 2000, the popularity of the coupe car has reached a hiatus for the Eclipse. Even though the succeeding generation was able to alleviate some issues seen with the latter, the damage has already been done.

In an effort to support victims of the earlier earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, the money raised from the auction of the last Eclipse will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

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