Autoblog UK

Mitsubishi plan to fill a gap in their current portfolio with a new compact SUV. The vehicle will have name by the time of its European debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Visually, the newcomer will have a lot in common with the Concept CX first exhibited in 2007. The first drawings show a sporty sloping roof line and a gaping shark's jaw grille. The front view is very much in keeping with the new brand visage now familiar from the mid-range Mitsubishi Lancer.

At the Tokyo Motor Show, local carmaker Mitsubishi will be presenting an SUV prototype with a revolutionary hybrid engine/motor that they claim is capable of beating the psychological 2 litres per 100km threshold. The PX-MiEV concept is powered by a newly developed plug-in hybrid system capable of delivering over 140 miles to the gallon. The vehicle combines the best of modern drive technology with superb road dynamics. The latter are provided by the new Mitsubishi S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) four-wheel drive system plus E-AYC (Electric-Powered Active Yaw Control) drive function which ensures the variable distribution of drive torque between left and right-hand side of the vehicle.

Mitsubishi is celebrating a further world premiere at the New York Auto Show with its Outlander GT. The prototype is a sporty compact SUV with many new technologies, including 'Idle Neutral Logic'. This system switches the transmission into neutral as soon as the car comes to a stop. Visually, the "Jet Fighter-Grill" which was taken from the Lancer Evolution stands out. The Japanese are describing the Outlander GT as a genuine Mitsubishi and during the coming days, further information will be provided about this prototype.

We have heard a lot of talk from manufacturers about the powerplant of the future being the electric motor, but some of them have actually made a move. At the Geneva Motor Show, Mitsubishi presented their e-car, currently referred to as the 'i-MiEV'. In line with Mitsubishi's new brand strategy of increasing the proportion of 'green' vehicles within overall production, the i-MiEV should reach European showrooms in 2010. The spherical shape of this model looks familiar – but it's what goes on inside that matters. Here, Mitsubishi and Peugeot are working on a joint strategy for the European version. The car is being introduced into its Japanese home market this year. The four-seater is claimed to reach speeds of up to 130kph and have a range of 160 kilometres on a full battery. It takes seven hours to boost the battery from a domestic socket but should take only 25 minutes at a quick-charge station.

Mitsubishi announced today their decision to withdraw from Cross Country Rallying, starting with the legendary Dakar Rally.

In its 26 entries in this event, Mitsubishi Motors won the rally a total of 12 times, including seven consecutive victories. In addition to this unparalleled record the company also gained 4WD technology that informs its production vehicles, most visible in their durability and off road performance.

The sudden deterioration of the global economy made it necessary for the company to focus its resources more tightly, leading to today's announcement.

On the penultimate day of the Dakar Mitsubishi Ralliart pair Nani Roma & Lucas Cruz, got their first stage victory in the Dakar on the shortened 13th leg of the special between La Rioja and Córdoba. The Spanish pair started the special in 21st position, but climbed steadily to get the first stage victory for Mitsubishi & Repsol in the 2009 Rally Dakar, and confirmed their sixth position in the overall classification.

This is also the first stage victory for Roma with the team, and his first ever victory in the car category. The day will be very emotional for Roma as this evening he will receive a special trophy in the bivouac in Córdoba; the "Henri Magne" to the best co-driver in the Dakar 2009. The deceased Magne was Roma`s co-driver and died in the Rally Morocco 2006.

Volkswagen has kept the upper hand with three cars leading the event, even on the extremely demanding tenth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally: Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn in the Race Touareg extended their advantage in the overall classification by another 7.39 minutes, to 27.31 minutes. On the loop around Copiapó in Chile, which contained a lot of camel grass and high dune fields with soft sand as well as stony and rough sections, the duo clinched its sixth stage victory with a narrow lead. After 470 kilometres through the Atacama desert merely 21 seconds separated the Volkswagen team from Robby Gordon/Andy Grider (USA/USA) in the Hummer. For Sainz, who is just contesting his third "Dakar", this marked as much as the 15th stage victory in the off-road classic.

Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford solidified their second place overall in the rally by setting the third-best time of the day despite a puncture. For the first time, Volkswagen's outright advantage over their best rival has increased to over one hour: ranking fourth overall, Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz as the only remaining Mitsubishi team are trailing Carlos Sainz by as much as 1:13 hour. The drivers in the Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart, Nani Roma & Lucas Cruz, survived what should have been the longest and toughest in the Dakar 2009. The Spanish pair finished the 670km loop in the Atacama desert in fifth place, after it was shortened to 476km by the organisers, and the two stay fourth in the overall.

The originally planned eleventh leg involving the crossing of the Andes and the border from Chile to Argentina has been cancelled due to a prediction of inclement weather, and converted into a liaison stage.

Volkswagen celebrated its seventh stage victory on the ninth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally, maintaining its overall lead with stage winners Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F), ahead of two further Race Touareg vehicles.

The 537-kilometre leg from La Serena to Copiapó in Chile demanded concentrated performance of the navigators, particularly during the starting phase, and put a severe physical strain on the crews due to long off-road stretches with hard impacts and stony sections. At first, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford looked like the stage winners for a long time. However, the American/South African duo lost about five minutes just before the finish because of a tyre change, but improved by one position in the overall classification. Miller/Pitchford took second place from their team colleagues Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, who lost 12.01 minutes on the ninth competition day due to a navigation error.

Carlos Sainz, who had been leading the cross-country classic for three days from the second leg onwards, then being replaced at the top for two days, has been running in front in the overall classification again since last Friday. After five stage victories, his lead over Miller now amounts to almost 20 minutes.

Nani Roma and his co-driver Lucas Cruz, have kept their fourth position in the Dakar 2009. They set the seventh best time on the ninth special in the southern part of the Atacama desert. Roma & Cruz occupied sixth place at the first control at kilometre 131 on the special that linked La Serena and Copiapó. These were the first kilometres in the Atacama desert, the highest dry region in the world, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes to the east.

Volkswagen started the second week of the Dakar Rally exactly the way the first half on Friday before the rest day had ended: by securing a triple stage victory and maintaining its previous one-two-three lead. The day's best result was clinched yet again by Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn, who scored a fourth stage victory in the Race Touareg, thus further extending his overall lead.

On the eighth leg from Valparaíso to La Serena in Chile the German Volkswagen duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk reached the destination in second position with a 4.02-minute gap to Sainz/Périn; they were followed in third place ten seconds later by Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford in the third of the blue Race Touareg vehicles.

X-raid's Sails Capital Racing Team rebounded from Sunday's small setback to again set the fastest time in the third, albeit shortened, 550km varied gravel stage of the 2009 Dakar Rally across Patagonia between Puerto Madryn and Ingeniero Jacobacci on Monday.

Day one leaders, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Tina Thörner, started the stage in ninth position on the road in their BMW X3 CC and set the fastest time - their second in three days - to move up the leader board from fourth to second overall.

Volkswagen continues to hold its ground after the third leg of the Dakar Rally, with Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (E/F) remaining at the top of the leader board. With some controlled driving, the Spanish-French duo was able to increase the lead it established yesterday in its Race Touareg by more than a minute to 3.40 minutes on the 694-kilometre leg westwards from Puerto Madryn to Jacobacci in Argentina. The third leg presented the participants with speedy stretches and with winding – and therefore also demanding – sections. With some rocky ground to cover, they had to reduce the risk of tyre blowouts in order not to forfeit valuable time.

Mitsubishi's Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard lost around 30 minutes before the first control because of a small fuel leak and fell back to tenth place. But the crews Stéphane Peterhansel-Jean-Paul Cottret and Nani Roma-Lucas Cruz are still driving strongly and battling to be among the race leaders after the third leg in Patagonia.