2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Es Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi boss labels French minister a "retard" for "ruining the lives of motorists" [UPDATE]

Arnaud Montebourg (pictured), French Minister of Industrial Recovery, was recently the target of a rather despicable slur at the hands of Mitsubishi France's leader, Jean-Claude Debard.
Frustrated by Montebourg's attempts to encourage the purchase of lower emitting vehicles and discourage use of high-emission vehicles - by way of tax breaks and tax hikes, respectively - Debard reportedly used the occasion of a new product launch to call the minister "stupid," a "mental case" and a "retard" before members of the media. Here's the full quote, as reported by the French newspaper La Provence by way of The Telegraph:
"This mental case, this retard, increases ecological taxes, reduces the speed motorists can go on Paris' ring road and ruins the life of motorists from all social origins all suffer as a result of him. He is stupid and understands nothing, you can quote me on that."

Mitsubishi CA-MiEV and GR-HEV concepts peek out before debut

We're getting a look at the two star Mitsubishi concept cars from this year's Geneva soiree, just ahead of the official debut for both. As suits Mitsubishi's ever-deepening interest in electrified vehicles, the brace of concepts both make use of electric drive: the CA-MiEV being a pure electric vehicle and the GR-HEV using a diesel-electric powertrain.
The CA-MiEV concept car may look a bit like a photoshopped Toyota Prius, but in fact the car employs a new electric motor and battery system from Mitsu. We're told that the EV has a theoretical range of 186 miles, which is nearly double the range of most EVs on the market today and approaches Tesla territory. The vehicle is larger than the company's current i-MiEV, and would seem to point the way forward for a more mainstream production EV from Mitsu.
The second concept, a rather odd-looking pickup truck called the GR-HEV, has a diesel engine, electric motor, all-wheel drive, and Mitsubishi's Super All Wheel Control. The front fascia bears a version of the grille we've seen on the new Outlander PHEV, with more radically raked (sort of "smiling") lighting elements.

Mitsubishi Pajero successor still years away, but plug-in hybrid tech likely

You might not know it from looking at today's Mitsubishi showrooms, but the struggling Japanese automaker has a pretty enviable reputation for producing robust off-roaders. Its Pajero SUV built a solid reputation worldwide on the back of its durability in harsh climates, earning it consideration alongside the likes of venerable explorers like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Range Rover. Unfortunately, the Pajero eventually succumbed to one particularly harsh climate - the North American truck market. After enjoying a long run, Mitsubishi finally pulled the plug on the SUV's Montero twin after the 2006 model year. Blame evolving consumer tastes, low brand visibility, a lackluster marketing budget, or the need for updated product - in fact, go ahead and blame all of the above.
Despite its age, the current fourth-generation Pajero (itself arguably an extensive rework of the previous model) has been carrying a lot of water for the brand in other parts of the world since its debut in 2006. So it's pretty well time for a new one. Problem is, its replacement is still a ways off. That's according to Australia's Go Auto, which has learned that the next-generation Pajero could still be three years away, if not longer.
According to Go Auto, the next model will be a much-changed beast, with design targets including a major weight loss and increased efficiency to go along with more luxurious appointments. In order to make gains in fuel economy, the plug-in hybrid technology that the company has already introduced for its new Outlander crossover will likely be a part of the SUV's development program.