Japon: accord entre Nissan et Mitsubishi sur les kei-cars

Le 1er juin 2011, Nissan et Mitsubishi vont créer une Joint Venture pour le développement de nouvelles mini voitures destinées au marché japonais. Il s'agit d'un élargissement de l'accord de coopération déjà signé en décembre 2010.

Avec cette Joint Venture détenue à 50/50, Nissan et Mitsubishi entendent renforcer leur compétitivité sur le marché clé des mini voitures au Japon et poursuivre la planification et le développement de nouveaux modèles. Le capital de départ de la Joint Venture s'élève à 10 millions de yens (environ 86 000 d'euros).

Les mini voitures sont connues sous l'appellation "K-Car" au Japon. Elles ont représenté, l'an dernier, plus d'un quart des ventes de voitures particulières sur le marché japonais. Les conducteurs de mini voitures dont la cylindrée n'excède pas 600 cm3 et qui ne mesurent pas plus de 3,4 mètres de long, bénéficient d'avantages fiscaux et n'ont pas besoin de justifier d'une place de parking privé, généralement obligatoire et d'un coût élevé, dans les grandes villes japonaises.

Nissan commercialise actuellement cinq mini voitures au Japon: les Roox, Moco, Otti, Kix et Klipper Rio tandis que Mitsubishi propose la Toppo, la i, la Minica, le break eK, la Town Box et le Pajero Mini.

Source & crédit photo: Mitsubishi

Shanghai Clone Wars: Landwind X8 vs Mitsubishi Outlander

There are clones and there are clones. While some come pretty close such as Lifan Motors' effort to give birth to a five-door MINI Cooper, other like Jiangling Motors's Landwind X8 that made its debut at the Shanghai Show this week, is a dead ringer for Mitsubishi's Outlander. For those of you with a weak memory, China's Landwind became known for being the first Chinese automaker to enter the European market with the SUV that spectacularly failed a crash test carried out by the ADAC, Germany's largest auto club.

And it's not only the exterior design of the Outlander that has been copied, it's also the interior as the X8 gets the same exact dashboard styling with the deep set instrument panel featuring the two circular tube-like structures.

But you still haven't heard the best part of the story; according to the Landwind, the X8 will be offered with two engines: a common-rail turbo diesel from Italy's VM Motori that develops 140HP and 350Nm of torque and -get this- a Mitshubishi sourced, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 150HP!

Sales of the Landwind X8 are to start in China during the second half of the year.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Mitsubishi Outlander SUV

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Landwind X8 SUV

Southeast Motor to Unveil V3 Lingyue in Shanghai

One of the lesser -if at all- known Chinese automakers, Southeast Motor, has announced that it will reveal the V3 Lingyue hatchback at 2009 Shanghai auto show next week. Like the sedan variant of the V3 Lingyue that was introduced in China in late 2008, the hatchback model is based on a platform of a previous generation Mitsubishi Lancer with power provided by a 1.5-liter MIVEC four-cylinder engine that was fine-tuned for the Chinese market by the firm's partner, Mitsubishi Motors.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Mitsubishi says yes to U.S. market launch of all-electric i MiEV RWD microcar

Ending the speculative rumors that had been circulating for quite a while now, Mitsubishi officially confirmed at its New York Auto Show press conference that the fully-electric i MiEV microcar will be arriving on U.S. shores. The pure electric, four-passenger i MiEV is scheduled to go on sale in Japan this July with Europe following suit in 2010 and the U.S. shortly after that. The tiny i MiEV, which is slightly smaller than a Fiat 500 measuring 3.395mm or 133.6-in. in length, is based on the Japanese market, rear-engined 'i' minicar.

The electric version replaces the i's conventional gasoline engine, transmission and fuel tank with a lithium-ion battery system, electric motor and onboard charging system. However, it retains the standard i's rear mid-ship architecture which allowed Mitsubishi to integrate the new components under the seats, luggage compartment and floor deck.

The i MiEV's battery pack can be charged either from an 110v outlet - which takes around 12 to 14 hours - or half that time on a 220v. Additionally, there is a fast charge connector that allows the battery to reach 80 percent of capacity in just 30 minutes.

We're not aware of the exact specifications of the U.S. market model, but it is most likely that the vehicle will undergo certain changes to 'fit' (feel free to share your thoughts on this one...) the needs of the American market.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Mitsubishi Outlander GT Shows its EVO-Inspired Fascia in New York

Pride and joy of Mitsubishi's stand at the New York Auto Show is the new Outlander GT Prototype which essentially provides us with the first look of the stylistic updates that the Japanese firm is readying for its compact crossover. And by this we basically mean the Lancer EVO cloned inspired front end design that gives the Outlander a much more aggressive appearance than the current model.

Aside from the EVO's signature 'Jet Fighter' grille and the reshaped Bi-Xenon headlamps, the Outlander Prototype also sports several other new design elements, such as a reshaped front bumper, side mirrors, fenders and hood, a new rear bumper and side sills, plus a new polished finish on the aluminum roof panel.

Complementing the exterior changes, the GT's cabin has been refreshed with the addition of grained synthetic leather with contrasting double stitching, new chrome accents plus a few EVO-inspired design cues like the aluminum sport pedals and the new three-spoke steering wheel.

The New York Show Outlander GT prototype also features a series of upgrades under the hood with the 3.0-liter V6 engine benefiting from improvements that include a reduction in intake restriction plus optimized camshaft timing and compression ratio. The changes result to a 10 horsepower bump for a total of 230HP while Mitsubishi claims that the V6's torque curve has also been improved. The prototype model features an upgraded shifting program and Idle Neutral Logic for the automatic transmission.

However, the most significant change concerns the adoption of the Lancer EVO X's 'Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system that uses an active front limited-slip differential and an electronically contorlled 4WD coupling for improved handling, traction and stability. Furthermore, Mitshubishi has upgraded the Outlander with shorter and stiffer suspension, larger Brembo brakes and a set of 19-inch O.Z. racing wheels.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Mitsubishi announces Outlander GT Prototype for New York Show

One blurry image and two teaser shots of the crossover's front end along with some initial details is all that Mitsubishi is willing to reveal on the Outlander GT Prototype that will make its world debut at the New York Auto Show on April 9, 2009. From the look of it, the compact CUV could be a sportier Outlander with a face transplant from the Lancer EVO that includes the so called "Jet Fighter" grille.

Mitsubishi said that the GT Prototype showcases a host of new technologies like the Idle Neutral Logic that automatically shifts the transmission into neutral during vehicle standstill, improved performance and fuel economy from its more powerful 3.0-liter SOHC MIVEC V6 engine, and a Super-All-Wheel-Control System.

For more details we'll have wait until next week's official unveiling.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com