The Mitsubishi Sportero has been declared the safest pickup in Europe, according to the test results of pickups as announced by Euro NCAP earlier this year.
In its press release, the European consumer protection group said: "The best of all the pickups tested by Euro NCAP was the Mitsubishi L200 (Sportero), which received a respectable four-star result in adult occupant protection," and had for its side crash rating the maximum achievable score.
The Mitsubishi L200 Sportero is the overall best-selling pickup in the German market. Introduced for the first time in autumn 1993, it has regularly held first place in the statistics of the German pickup segment. In 2007, it reached a market share of around 27 per cent. It has won numerous awards both there and in the UK as Pickup of the Year.
Honda boosting Fit productionHonda will boost the production of the Fit in the US for 2009. Honda has now decided to bump production from 60,000 to 80,000 cars for the 2009 model year. The 2009 Fit has been rated at 28/34 mpg city/highway and will start at US$14,620.
Nissan developing new hybrid coupeNissan is planning on making their own hybrid car to go head-to-head with its rival, the Honda CR-Z. Nissan will use aluminium to keep weight at a minimum.
For improved aerodynamics, the new coupe may be fitted with flat bottom panels (a trick used on the Nissan GT-R). Engine details have not been confirmed but the power plant is rumoured to be a four-cylinder 1.5-litre HR15DE, coupled to an electric motor and power would be sent to the front wheels through a six-speed DSG transmission. This new Nissan well be in showrooms before early 2010.
Honda CEO wants NSX to beat GTR
Honda CEO Takeo Fukui wants his NSX to toast both the Nissan GT-R and the Lexus LF-A around the 'Ring'. The GT-R has posted lap times on the 'Ring' that utterly defy what it should be able to do on paper; the Lexus LF-A is still a moving target that's trying to best the GT-R too.
NSX will get a 5.5L V10 producing 550 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. It is surmised that it will use an eight-speed auto with paddle shifters, feature an advanced version of Honda's Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system, and use lots of aluminium in its construction to keep weight down.
Subaru ExigaThe Legacy has been the best selling station wagon in Japan, and has been since its inception, but Subaru took a Legacy, stretched the wheelbase a few inches, put in a couple of seats in the trunk but kept the centre of gravity nice and low and now call it the Exiga.
The only other seven-seater that can match it is the Mazda MPV, with the 2.3-litre turbo engine. The engines offer in the Exiga are EJ20 two-litre motor in either turbocharged or naturally aspirated and the superb flat-six 3.0. Don't look to see Petter Solberg catching big air in one any time soon.
The Exiga is slightly bigger than the Legacy, 6cm longer, 4.5cm wider and 9cm higher, the wheel base is 15cm longer, Subaru has kept the weight to around 1,500kg. Will the local dealer be carrying this one?
Chinese Volvo?Ford is considering to sell Volvo to a Chinese company. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp may be one of the potential suitors, while a Russian investor has also expressed interest in Ford's Swedish arm.
FoMoCo's Ford announced that 2,000 workers will be laid off in an effort to cut costs due to an overall weak market and rising material costs. Volvo is hoping to slash around US$662 million in costs, with the primary cuts coming from workers in Sweden. Twelve hundred workers were informed of the cuts recently, and overall, 1,400 white-collar staff and 600 blue-collar jobs are on the chopping block.
