Nearing the end of a successful year in the US market, Mitsubishi is already talking about expansion plans to help boost profits even higher for 2015.
Both the Outlander Sport and Mirage hatchback were met with better-than-expected demand in North America, together representing more than half of the company’s US sales so far in 2014.

SUVs will remain a top priority for 2015, with a plug-in Outlander scheduled to arrive late in the year or early in 2016. The seven-passenger crossover will likely be sold alongside the Pajero, known as the Montero in the US before it was pulled from the market nearly a decade ago.

“We are putting our emphasis on SUVs in the United States,” Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko told Automotive News in a recent interview. “So we have to think about introducing the next-generation Pajero to the United States. There’s going to be a PHEV version.”

The company is also considering a sedan version of the Mirage, known as the Mirage G4 or Attrage in other markets. Masuko suggests a midsize sedan is also under consideration.

The Japanese automaker expects to make a modest $26 million profit in the US for the current fiscal year, following years in the red.

Infiniti is bringing is Q80 Inspiration Concept to Los Angeles for its North American Debut. Originally revealed at a private event in Paris, the Q80 Inspiration Concept foreshadows a potential range-topping Infiniti sedan.

At nearly 200 inches long and 79 inches wide — larger than Infiniti’s current flagship Q70 — the concept is slightly bigger all around than an Audi A7. It takes the form of a low-slung four-door sedan equipped with suicide rear doors, sculpted flanks and a large panoramic roof. The concept wears a muscular look that ushers in the design language that will influence all of the company’s upcoming cars over the coming years.

With room for up to four passengers, the Q80 Inspiration boasts a luxurious, futuristic cockpit equipped with a heads-up display, an Alcantara-upholstered three-spoke steering wheel and a fully configurable digital instrument cluster. A screen discreetly integrated into the center console runs the latest generation of Infiniti’s infotainment system, and high-resolution screens mounted in the front seatbacks ensure the passengers sitting in the back can stay connected on the go.

Power for the Q80 Inspiration comes from a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain made up of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine and an electric motor. Together, the two power sources generate 550 horsepower while allowing the sedan to return up to 42 mpg in a mixed cycle. The driver can choose whether power is sent to the rear wheels or to all four wheels.

The Q80 Inspiration Concept will be displayed alongside Infinti’s QX80 Limited SUV.

General Motors has extended the application deadline for its ignition-switch victim fund.
The extension was first proposed by fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg, giving applicants another month to file claims. The new deadline has been set for January 31, 2015.

“We agreed with Ken Feinberg’s recommendation to extend the compensation program deadline,” GM said in a statement. “Our goal with the program has been to reach every eligible person impacted.”

The company is in the process of mailing approximately 850,000 additional notices to newly registered owners and individuals who may not have received previous letters due to a change of address or registration.

“I believe that the many efforts to reach all possible GM automobile owners, former owners and others who might have been adversely impacted by a defective ignition switch have been both comprehensive and effective,” Feinberg said in a statement. “There will always be some individuals who do not receive formal notice and are generally unaware of available compensation. But such individuals appear to be very few in number.”

Notice has already been sent to nearly 4.5 million individuals, resulting in a total of more than 2,100 claims as of November 14. The fund has already approved 33 compensation requests related to fatalities, along with 39 claims for injuries.

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has downplayed the potential negative effect of falling gasoline prices on the agency’s fuel-efficiency targets.
As average prices at the pump continue to hold below $3 per gallon in the US market, many buyers are opting for crossovers and SUVs rather than small fuel-efficient cars. The trend is expected to pose a challenge for the industry as it works to more than double fleet-wide fuel efficiency in the next decade.

“I expect that we will continue to have more and more fuel-efficient vehicles, and people will still want them,” EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said at a recent event, as quoted by The Detroit News.

The government set an ambitious goal of 54.5 mpg by 2025, however average fuel economy of newly purchased vehicles appears to be stagnating due to the drop in fuel prices.

McCarthy argues that some buyers are currently choosing SUVs because of the looming winter, but the overall average is still up for 2014 as most buyers look for vehicles with better fuel efficiency. The agency is only expecting fleet-wide efficiency to jump by less than one percent to 24.2 mpg, however, for the 2014 model year.

Despite McCarthy’s optimism, the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could still revise their 2025 target after completing a review of current numbers and forecasted trends.

Ken Block has released the seventh video in his Gymkhana series, featuring a modified ’65 Ford Mustang.
Replacing his trusty rally-spec Fiesta, the new Mustang has been extensively upgraded with all-wheel drive and a Roush Yates V8 engine that produces 845 horsepower and 720 lb-ft of torque.

Block thrashes the ‘Hoonicorn’ around the streets of downtown Los Angeles, with additional obligatory runs on the city’s highway network, down the LA River culvert, through Chinatown and in the hills above the iconic Hollywood Sign.

The segment serves as another promotion for Block’s Hoonigan clothing line.