Mitsubishi to Launch Electric Light Truck and Plug-in Hybrid Outlander in 2013

According to a report from Japan's Nikkei business daily, Mitsubishi is developing a pure-electric light truck that will be launched onto the market in the second quarter of 2013.

Mitsubishi has been one of the first carmakers to enter the EV market with its iMieV, an all-electric city car that like the Outlander SUV has also spawned PSA Peugeot Citroen variants.

Speaking of the Outlander, the report states that a plug-in hybrid version of Mitsubishi’s crossover will also hit the market at the same time as the electric truck.

The PX-MiEV II concept that was unveiled less than a month ago at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show may give us some clues to the Outlander’s replacement as well as its powertrain setup.

The plug-in hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter MIVEC gasoline engine with an output of 94HP, and sports two 60kW (80HP) electric motors, one at the front and the other at the rear. Power is transferred to all four wheels via the acclaimed Lancer Evolution X’s Super-All Wheel Drive that is mated to a new twin-motor AWD system.

The Japanese carmaker has an ambitious plan to launch eight electric or plug-in hybrids and become a global EV leader by 2016.

The i-MieV will go on sale in the States next month as the “i”, while the 2013 hybrid crossover will be a global product. It is still unclear, however, whether the electric light truck, which as Nikkei says will be priced at around 1.5 million yen (US$19,200) after government subsidies, will be available outside Japan.

Story References: Autonews

 

Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV

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BMW and General Motors to Cooperate on Fuel Cell Technology

With creating expenditures on new technological innovation growing and areas varying in unforeseeable ways, family interaction with other producers is the way to go.

BMW has been one of the first to associate with its vehicle alternatives. Since 2002, it has been family interaction with Europe’s second greatest team, PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Only a few days ago, it declared a new handle Toyota, in which the Spanish people will offer the Western with their diesel-powered applications in change for Toyota’s large experience on multiple engineering.

On Friday, In german paper Wirtschafts Woche revealed that the Munich-based luxurious car machine is in shares to type yet another alliance. This time it will be with the globe's number one, Common Engines, and the concern is petrol cellular engineering, a area in which GM has done a lot of investigation and progression.

"We are discussing to GM about various upcoming technological innovation but we are not saying anything more beyond that," a BMW spokesperson said on Wednesday, while GM dropped to make any feedback.

The In german distribution offered a document on Business Weeks time, which said that BMW wants to use of GM petrol cellular engineering, and in come back will engage in the large expenditures of further creating what is regarded by most to be the long run of the vehicle market.

So, is the manufacturer of the Greatest Generating Models managing out of thoughts or cash to create these technological innovation on its own?

The reply is no: BMW is simply family interaction with organizations that are not immediate competition on a around the world time frame in order to revenue from their experience in certain job areas and considerably decrease progression expenditures for its own versions.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Lay Off 4000 Workers At The Ford Plant In Valencia Because Of Reduced Demand

The economic crisis raging in Europe, is not likely to disappear in the short term. As a result, manufacturers have begun to take measures to take into account the lower demand for their products.

Ford, meanwhile, will temporarily lay off 4,000 of its 6,200 employees at its plant in Valencia, Spain for 39 days in 2012, according to Adrian Schmitz, a spokesman for the Blue Oval's European operations of the group in Cologne, Germany.

"This downtime is related to the transition to the factory, and the expectation that demand will remain weak next year across the European industry," says Schmitz. "The drop in demand from Spain and Europe affects everyone in the industry," he added.

According to Spanish news site The Economist, move, Ford reduced the production of the plant, which will stop the Fiesta and Kuga will start producing the new (Escape in the U.S.) and Transit Connect van at the end of 2012, 34%.

Analysts Bankhaus Metzler Juergen Pieper said that the situation will only get worse. "It's definitely a sign of weak demand. It is only likely to worsen. Several manufacturers will see the worst sales next year and this will lead to more layoffs. "

Pieper added that Ford is in better shape than most competitors are required to deal with falling demand in 2012, because even if the entire European sales fell 1.4% in October, reported a 6.4% more than in October 2010. However, Ford sales in Spain fell by 6.7% in July.

PSA Peugeot Citroen has said it will cut up to 3,500 permanent jobs, and both Renault and GM have announced they will temporarily suspend some production lines in French and Spanish factories, respectively.

Story References: Bloomberg

 

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2011 Toyota iQ and Aygo get upgraded interiors

Join the new Verso-S small minivan Toyota 2010 held at the Paris Motor Show, will be the 2011 model year versions of the iQ and Aygo city cars, both of which benefit from some minor revisions in the interior.

IQ for the year 2011, which will be sold in the states under the Scion brand, Toyota is increasing the level of quality perceived by the use of high grade soft touch plastic dash panels and door, the introduction of new schemes updated color and finishing options.

The Aygo, which is the product of the family of the city developed jointly by PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Toyota, also gets some subtle interior upgrades include the presentation of a multimedia system.

More information about Toyota models update will be available closer to the opening of Paris on September 30.

2011 Toyota Aygo


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2011 Toyota iQ

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