Archive for Mitsubishi

We may see Peugeot and Citroen badge engineered versions of the Mitsubishi i MiEV in the European market, much like PSA Peugeot Citroen’s deal with Mitsubishi with the Outlander, resulting in the C-Crosser and the 4007.

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors have started a joint study that will last several months to examine the scope a potential cooperation to produce small electric-powered vehicles designed for city and urban use.

The study will also involve the feasibility of shared production sites for components for electric vehicles. This announcement comes just after the beginning of the construction of a new jointly owned factory in Russia.

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Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has officially made available two additional variants of the Triton pick-up truck at its showrooms - the Mitsubishi Triton 3.2 4X4 Automatic and the Mitsubishi Triton Lite 2.5 4X2 Manual.

This increases the Triton line-up to 4 different variants now, adding to the current offering of the 2.5 4×4 Automatic and the 2.5 4X4 Manual.

You can spot the Triton 3.2 from the 2.5 liter versions by its different front bumper which has a little bumper protector, a chromed grille, and the different wheel design. Under the hood is the 4M41 3.2 liter inline-4 turbodiesel engine producing 160 PS at 3,500rpm and 343Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.

It would be interesting to note that this is still not the most powerful version of Mitsubishi’s turbodiesel engine - there is another 3.2 liter with a Variable Geometry Turbocharger but it is only available in the Pajero. The Triton 3.2 goes for RM97,041.50 in Peninsular Malaysia OTR without insurance. Sabah and Sarawak prices are RM97,280.40 and RM97.509.00 respectively.

RELATED: Mitsubishi Triton 3.2 Test Drive Report

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The Triton Lite is much like what most of you expected - a 4X2 version of the Triton with smaller tyres. It rides on 15 inch wheels for one. The front bumper and grille is also rather basic and unpainted, with no foglamps.

The much lower price of RM58,129.80 (RM59,685.20 in Sabah and RM59,618.30 in Sarawak) is due to the 2.5 liter engine being a more basic 8 valve SOHC version with no turbocharger. It puts out 75 PS at 4,200rpm and 149Nm of torque at 2,500rpm which is pretty much equivalent to a 1.6 liter gasoline engine’s torque. It is only available with a 5-speed manual.

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Mitsubishi will be unveiling the 5-door hatchback version of the Mitsubishi Lancer at the 2008 Paris Motor Show in October this year.

The baseline version of the hatch will be powered by the 1.5 liter 4A91 DOHC engine featuring MIVEC variable valve timing, producing 109 PS at 6,000rpm and 145Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. This is the same engine found in the normally aspirated Mitsubishi Colt as well as the smart forfour.

Slightly up the range is a 1.8 liter model powered by the 4B10, a version of the 4B11 2.0 liter we know here in our market with a reduced displacement. The 4B10 engine makes 143 PS at 6,000rpm and 177Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. There will also be a 2.0 liter turbodiesel model producing 140 PS, likely to be using the same Volkswagen engine as the Indian turbodiesel Lancer sedan.

A Lancer Sportback Ralliart will also be showcased, featuring a turbocharged 4B11T 2.0 liter engine similiar to the one in the Lancer Evolution but iwth a lower power output of 240 horses and 343Nm of torque. It will be mated to the Twin Clutch SST gearbox, with an Active Center Differential and 4WD.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback due at Paris 2008

Two new variants of the Mitsubishi Triton pick-up truck wil be launched by Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia sometime in June 2008. Complementing the existing 2.5 liter 4X4 Triton double cab manual and automatic versions will be a 4X2 version of the 2.5 liter double cab model with manual transmission, and a 3.2 liter 4X4 double cab model with an automatic transmission.

The 2.5 liter 4X2 Mitsubishi Triton is estimated to retail at approximately RM60,000, while the 3.2 liter 4X4 automatic has an indicative price of about RM100,000. The exisitng Mitsubishi Triton 2.5 liter 4X4 goes for RM91,782.00 OTR with insurance for the automatic model, and RM86,782.00 for the manual model.

The 3.2 liter engine specifications have not been announced at the moment, but we can expect it to be similiar to the engine specifications of the 3.2 liter turbodiesel Triton in other countries. The inline-4 turbodiesel engine produces 158 horsepower at 3,800rpm, and 347Nm of torque from 2,000rpm.

RELATED: Mitsubishi Triton 3.2 Test Drive Report

Mitsubishi has launched a new special edition of the Colt Ralliart in Japan called the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart Version-R Special, which has a special chassis that is 10% stiffer than the standard version. This is thanks to the usage of continuous welding in certain areas of the chassis as opposed to spot welding. This should enhance chassis response to steering movements.

For the 2008 model year, the 1.5 liter MIVEC turbocharged engine also has its power upped to 163 horses, compared to the previous 154 horsepower. Torque remains 210Nm at 3,500rpm. This new upgraded power levels are also available with normal non-special edition Colt Ralliart Version-R for the 2008 model year.

The Colt Ralliart, or even the standard Colt is one of the best handling Japanese B-segment hatches around, and the turbocharged version kicks up the fun level another notch higher. If I am not mistaken, they are going for about a bit under RM100k in the second hand market for a model that’s perhaps 2 to 3 years old.

While waiting for Mitsubishi’s 4-cylinder turbodiesel for C-segment vehicles (announced by chairman Takashi Nishioka at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show) to be ready, Mitsubishi has temporarily given the Mitsubishi Lancer a Volkswagen 2.0 TDI engine.

The turbodiesel Lancer is available in India amongst some other countries. The Volkswagen turbodiesel uses Pumpe Duse injection (one pump for each injector) as opposed to common rail (a single pump for the common rail), and produces 140 horsepower at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque at 1,750rpm.

This engine is interesting because in some aftermarket applications its been known to be able to produce slightly over 200 horsepower.

At first glance, you may confuse the Mitsubishi Lancer Fortis launched in Taiwan sometime last year with a Toyota Mark X, or some other car, but definitely not the latest generation Lancer. This is because Taiwan’s Lancer has its own styling, featuring its own totally different front and a modified rear end which reminds me of the USDM Civic and features LED tail lamp clusters.

The side profile looks similiar, but with what appears to be a shorter rear end because it does not feature the Lancer’s aggressive protruding snout anymore.

The interior is largely similiar to the original Lancer interior, but Taiwan gets an option for 7 airbags, a DVD player, rear parking camera, and a host of other gadgets. Under the hood is a version of the 4B11 which makes 157 PS at 6,000rpm and 205Nm of torque at 4,250rpm, slightly more powerful than our 155 PS and 199Nm of torque.

It looks more grown up and tamer than the very aggressive Lancer that Malaysia and the rest of the world gets. Which do you prefer? I prefer ours.

View more photos and a video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Taiwanese market Mitsubishi Lancer Fortis

Pick-up trucks are becoming increasingly popular as family vehicles these days. They love the utility provided by the storage bed, the frugality and hardiness of the turbodiesel engine, and the off-road capability to tackle our flood-cursed city centrals. Many small families do not mind the cramped interior that you get most of the time. While pick-ups are available with safety features like airbags and ABS, how safe are they in reality?

For the first time ever, Euro NCAP has tested pick-up trucks in the light of the vehicles becoming more and more popular for family usage, and it reveals to us some shocking facts. Three trucks were crashed - the Nissan Navara (second generation Frontier - ours is the first gen), the Isuzu D-MAX and the Mitsubishi L200 (known as the Triton in Malaysia). The following are the results:

Please read the following full crash test reports for full details:
Isuzu D-MAX, Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara

The Nissan Navara scored the worst in adult occupant protection - not even one proper star but only a struck-through star. According to the report, the chassis rail collapsed and the accelerator pedal moved as much as 20cm into the footwell - that would definitely cause really serious injury to your legs. The airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners also activated too late into the crash, which EuroNCAP says poses “a high risk of life threatening injury”.

Nissan has developed new airbag software for the Nissan Navara and all new Nissan Navaras now have the updated software. All existing Nissan Navaras on the road will also receive a free airbag software update at their service centers.

The Mitsubishi L200/Triton scored 4 stars for adult occupant protection, and if you view the full crash report, you will see that the driver’s body and leg protection ranged from weak to marginal, but at least the head received good protection.

Very shocking - please do read the full crash test reports linked above. It’s a pity EuroNCAP did not test the Toyota Hilux. The Toyota Hilux is one of the most popular pick-up trucks used as a family car here in Malaysia, plus a full-bodied 7-seater version of it is sold as the Fortuner.

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Mitsubishi Motors has released more photos of the upcoming Mitsubishi Prototype-S, which previews the soon to be launched 5-door hatchback version of the Lancer. A high powered Lancer Ralliart version featuring a 240 PS turbocharged engine and a less high tech version of Mitsubishi’s all-wheel drive system compared to the one installed in the Lancer Evolution X.

The version of the 4B11T in the Prototype-S puts out 240 PS and 343Nm of torque and is mated to the 6-speed Twin Clutch SST gearbox. The car has a wheelbase of 2,635mm, a height of 1,480mm, a width of 1,760mm, a length of 4,585mm and rides on 19 inch wheels wrapped with 215/45R19 tyres.

On the interior, Mitsubishi has given the car’s upper dashboard a black suede finish, while the upholstery gets light brown combination leather. The production version of the 5-door Lancer hatchback will be launched by the end of 2008, and is vital for Mitsubishi’s European plans.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Details
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Sketch
Mitsubishi Prototype-S to feature 240 PS turbocharged engine

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Prototype-S previews Lancer hatchback

Mitsubishi Motors has published a list of what they claim are technical innovations in the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. The list does look very fancy indeed, and stuff like ETACs will lend the Lancer Evolution X a much needed more upmarket feel - the Evo 9 did not really feel its price.

• No Reverse Gear - The 5-speed manual does not have a reverse gear, instead it uses a combination of gears 1 and 3 with an idler gear on a separate shaft to reverse the direction of rotation.
• Spoilers In The Wheel Arch - A miniscule spoiler lip protects wheel houses from swirling wind, this improves aerodynamics.
• Energy Saving Glass - This reduces solar heat transmission by 66 to 100%, and cuts out UV light so that the air conditioning system does not have to work too hard.
• Stainless Steel Manifold - the insides of the exhaust manifold is smoother.
• ETACs - The Mitsubishi Electronic Total Automobile Control system lets the driver personalise his car. For example, he or she can decide how long the interior light stays on after door closure, or just disable the feature. The wing mirrors can also be set to automatically fold when the door is closed and ignition switched off.
• Acoustic Engineering - Lightweight acoustic and vibration dampening materials including foam filling for pillars for good NVH while minimizing weight increase.
• Adaptive Front Lighting - HID lamps light up the way ahead but additional beams light up to illuminate corners.
• Vents - vents are placed around the car like the ones on the hood and behind the front wheels to release heat, and a central air intake for cool air.
• F1 Piston Technology - The 4B11T uses Mahle full floating pistons which are based on F1 technology. The pistons are made of a very hard and strong alloy. The 4B11T is about 12kg lighter than the outgoing 4G63T.