Mitsubishi has launched on the British market the ASX Black - a new special edition model with enhanced exterior styling and a bespoke interior. The model can be ordered with two different engine versions, with prices ranging from £21,099 ($28,800) for the ASX 4 1.6 2wd Manual to £25,399 ($34,700) for the ASX 4 1.8 DI-D 4WD Manual.
Although the name "Black" makes you think about a black car, the new ASX Black will actually be offered in six different exterior color: blue, white, silver, black, red and gray. The name Black comes from the introduction of satin black styling kit which includes striking black 17” alloy wheels, roof, spoiler, mirrors, grille and fog lamp bezels. The interior benefits from the addition of a special edition black leather kit featuring carbon fiber inserts.
As standard options the ASX Black will offer Kenwood satellite, Navigation system, reversing camera, iPod connection, Mitsubishi Active Stability and Traction Control (M-ASTC).
The Tokyo Motor Show is just around the corner - doors open in December - so it was high time that automakers started revealing their plans, including the over 20 world debuts scheduled. Mitsubishi is starting off its announcements with two new models that will be in attendance in Tokyo. One of them is a second version of the PX-MiEV Concept first unveiled back in 2009. This new concept takes Mitsubishi’s existing EV technology a step forward, delivering more environmental performance and better fuel efficiency than any existing SUV.
The PX-MiEV Concept II uses a unique plug-in hybrid system that combines a small 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine with EV technology derived from the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. This system allows the Concept PX-MiEV II to offer an impressive economy of more than 60 km/l (141 mpg) and a cruising range of over 800 km (497 miles).
The hybrid system takes its power from high-capacity batteries that allow the vehicle to cover over 50 km (31 miles) in all-electric mode alone. The driver has a button that allows him to change from Battery Drive Mode (for those residential areas) to pure EV more (for the countryside).
Stay tuned because more details on the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept II will be revealed at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
The Evo-loving world was in shambles after Mitsubishi Global Product Director, Gayu Eusegi, announced that the company would be killing off the all-wheel-drive turbocharged Lancer Evolution. The Evo is one of the best models Mitsubishi has ever offered and fans everywhere were shocked that the company would take such extreme measures. A few back pedals later and Mitsubishi President and CEO, Osamu Masuko, calmed the waters by stating that the the Evo X would not be the last of the Evolutions. Now, Masuko has offered even more details for the future of the Evo to Japanese magazine, Best Car, stating that "Mitsubishi is fully intent on producing a high-performance car in the future, albeit green." Yeah, join the club, Masuko.
The rumor has long been that the Evo XI would be a diesel-electric hybrid. Such a powertrain would allow the Evo XI to hustle to 0-60 MPH in under 5 seconds while still receiving better fuel economy than the current Evo. Now, it seems the technology that was unveiled in the PX-MiEV concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show is looking to fit itself into the EVO XI. This would mean a 1.6- liter gasoline engine combined with an electric motor that will take its power from a set of lithium-ion batteries. The electric motors will power the vehicle at low to middle speeds, while the engine will kick on at high speeds. The engine will also provide back up for the motors when their charge runs low. The hybrid system will be combined with Mitsubishi’s S-AWC all-wheel-drive system and active yaw control, technologies that have already been used in the Evo X.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution XI may have been saved from the chopping block, but at least one Mitsubishi sports coupe is on its final dregs and will soon ride off into the sunset. For the record, the Eclipse, has been one of our favorite Japanese sports coupes in recent times so it goes without saying that we’re pretty bummed out that the line will officially end after the 2012 model year.
On that note, Mitsubishi has prepared a new mode of the Eclipse, called the ’Eclipse SE’ to give the car the proper send-off it deserves. Slated to be the last Eclipse model to be built, the Eclipse SE comes with some new details and features to make the last one a pretty memorable one, too.
Make no mistake, it’s a sad time to be a Mitsubishi Eclipse fan, but as the scribes always used to say, “all good things must come to an end”. And if this is the send-off that Mitsubishi is giving to their once-beloved sports coupe, then we expect the car sell like ice cream on a hot summer day.
Details on the Mitsubishi Eclipse SE after the jump.
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Back in the 90’s, Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution high-performance program was one of the most popular things to come out of Japan. Those days sure were fun for Mitsubishi.
Unfortunately, the Evolution program doesn’t hold the same cache as it used to, but nevertheless, it still carries a lot of weight as far as performance cars are concerned.
Bulgarian tuning firm, Vilner, is determined to bring the Lancer EVO X back to prominence with interior upgrades and even brought in one of its contemporaries, Overdrive, to take care of the exterior and performance improvements.
Inside the Lancer EVO X, Vilner decked it out with a black leather upholstery to go along with white colored accents and stitching. The roof lining has been outfitted with black Alcantara while the steering wheel and gear lever were treated with carbon trim. Rounding out Vilner’s work is a pair of OMP front bucket seats with a piano black decorative trim. Outside, Vilner also put in new LED lights on the car’s headlamps and taillights, replacing the standard lights the car comes in.
Meanwhile, the Lancer EVO X’s exterior was treated with carbon elements to go along with a Greddy exhaust system, an adjustable K-sport suspension, and a set of 18” Weds Sports alloy wheels. Under the hood, Overdrive also gave the car a power kit that spikes the output of the car’s 2.0-liter turbocharged engine all the way up to 400 horsepower.
