Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsubishi Concept ZT.

It's a foregone conclusion that the Concept ZT unveiled in Tokyo is the styling direction Mitsubishi will take when it unveils a reworked Galant in the next couple of years. So common sense says that the next iteration of the Mitsubishi 380 sold in Australia, which began life in 2005 as a rebadged Galant with a few design tweaks, is going to reappear sharing most of the cues debuted on the ZT.

The fact that Mitsubishi will end production of the 380 at its Adalaide, Australia plant towards the end of March so it can pursue a "full import strategy" is further proof that the next 380 is going to share even more in common with the next generation Galant. While it's not certain that the 380 moniker will be nixed in favor of a Galant badge, it's likely to be packing a choice of new motors that puts fuel-efficiency over performance, including one of Mitsubishi's new diesel mills.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

click above for more high-res images of the 2009 Mitsubishi Galant

Mitsubishi will officially unveil the freshened-for-2009 Galant sedan at the Chicago Auto Show next week, but we can show you now what changes are in store for the mid-size four-door. The 2009 Mitsubishi Galant is marked by new exterior styling that, while not revolutionary, is just enough of a change to say the look is new. The front end features a cleaner design than the '08 model by dropping Mitsubishi's short-lived split grille for a more traditional one that spans uninterrupted across the Galant's face. The new hood gets some sharp creases and the lower intake has been changed and features new fog lights on either side. Big changes have occurred out back, too, where there are new rear taillights that necessitated a slight change in the rear fenders' shape, as well. Though Mitsubishi told us the interior had been updated too, the only difference we could see was a new shifter gate.

The 2009 Mitsubish Galant will be offered in four versions: the top-shelf Ralliart model, V6 Sport (shown), four-cylinder Sport edition and the four-cylinder ES. The Ralliart is still powered by a 3.8L MIVEC V6 producing 258 HP and uses a 5-speed Sportronic automatic transmission. The Galant V6 Sport gets a 230-HP 3.8L V6, while the two remaining models are powered by a 160-HP 2.4L MIVEC four-cylinder. The V6 models get a 5-speed Sportronic automatic, while the four-cylinders made do with four-speeds. The two Sport models (both V6 and four-cylinder versions) also feature a power glass sunroof and heated cloth front seats as standard equipment.

It would appear that Mitsubishi is banking on the Galant's new sheetmetal alone to move more metal off the dealer lots, but with more customer traffic in showrooms thanks to successful redesigns of the Outlander and Lancer, its plan just might work. Check out Mitsubishi's full press release after the jump.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Click the above picture for more pictures of the Mitsubishi Concept-ZT

Mitsubishi's star at the show might have been the new Evo X, but the new Concept-ZT is the more important car as it previews the next-generation Galant, which is a big seller for the company. Styled like a large Lancer, the ZT features the same jet-fighter grille but is overall a more stylish and elegant vehicle. We particularly liked some of the small styling touches such as the side mirrors and detailed wheels. Under the hood is Mitsu's 2.2L diesel engine mated to a twin-clutch gearbox, which Mitsubishi seems to be introducing throughout their lineup.



Live Photos Copyright ©2007 Siddarth Raja / Weblogs, Inc.

Click images to enlarge

That's right, children, there are other car shows coming up in addition to Frankfurt. In October, everybody heads to Tokyo, where Mitsubishi will unveil a sporty electric coupe based on the i MIEV they're currently piloting with power companies in Japan, as well as a new sedan concept called the Concept-ZT. If we had to guess, the ZT's styling foretells the next Galant. If that's indeed the case, it's an improvement.

The i MIEV Sport looks like an i up front, but the rest of the bodywork takes on a coupe profile. Like the regular (if you can call an experimental electric car that) i MIEV, the Sport uses a rear-midship layout, with the Li-Ion battery back under the passenger floor and other components in back beneath the luggage compartment. A pair of in-wheel motors drives the front wheels, and the motor packaged in back drives the rears. The car is painted in Mitsubishi's shade of what we here like to call "Subliminal Message Green," and the interior makes use of the company's Green Plastics, which we'll see first on the Concept-cX in Frankfurt. In short: a little odd-looking, but cool. Just like the regular i.

Follow the jump for the Concept-ZT.

Hat tip: Babez.de

[Source: Mitsubishi]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Va. has just concluded testing on some 75 vehicles' head restraint systems and after performing a simulated rear-end impact of 20 MPH, only 22 of the systems received the top score of "good."

At the head of the class was Audi's A4, S4 and A6, along with the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Five Hundred (Taurus, whatever) and its Mercury counterpart, Honda's Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Jag S-Type, Kia Optima, Merc E-class, Nissan Sentra and its lesser sibling the Versa, Subaru's Impreza, Legacy and Outback, as well as Volvo's S40, S60 and S80 (no surprise).

The flunkees included the Acura TSX, BMW 5-series, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, Caddy CTS, DTS and STS, Chevy's Aveo, the Honda Fit and Accord, Infiniti's M35, the Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Pontiac's Grand Prix, plus the Toyota Avalon and Corrolla.

Considering that the IIHS estimates that the injuries sustained to the back and neck in these types of collisions costs insurance companies around $8 mbillion dollars per year, their interest in the matter is obvious. Whether or not consumers will include this in their purchasing criteria is another matter however.

[Source: IIHS]

Mitsubishi has thrown down the gauntlet. If dealers can't sell its new products like the Outlander and Lancer, the company may pull out of the United States completely. Mitsubishi's product boss, Shinichi Kurihara said as much at a press event, indicating that the company's recovery rides on the success of the vehicles. The company is down 16.5 percent to 36,536 units so far this year, and its Normal, Ill. plant employs just one shift. Predictably, dealers have responded by urging Mitsubishi brass to open up their wallets and spend more money on advertising here in the States.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi's May sales figures just arrived and the company posted a 3.9-percent rise in sales over May of 2005, which follows an even stronger 17.5-percent improvement last month over April of 2005.

[Source: Automotive News via AutoWeek]

(Thanks to Emulous1974 for the tip)