mitsubishi

Just a couple days after we noted the first comparison involving Mitsubishi's LaserVue HDTV, the HD Guru has posted the first in-depth review of the set.

The Guru, a.k.a. Gary Merson, put the $7000 65-inch television though its paces at Mitsubishi's California headquarters, and definitely liked what he saw. Lauding nearly every aspect of its performance, he especially highlighted its brightness capabilities and wide color gamut in "Brilliant" mode. Overall, he placed this rear-projection set in the same league with the best flat panels on the market.

… Read more

What will race cars look like in 2025? The Los Angeles Auto Show, in its fifth annual Design Challenge, posed this question to automakers' design studios. Entrants from Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen show off differing takes of what will be required for future racetracks.

Click here for renderings of future race cars.

Man, it sure would be nice if we could do this comparison here at CNET.

The first third-party side-by-side comparison we've seen between Mitsubishi's LaserVue rear-projection TV and Pioneer's Elite Kuro plasma appeared at TheTechlounge Friday, and according to its authors, the LaserVue more than held its own against what's widely regarded as the best TV on the market.

Author Cameron Baker and editor Kurtis Kronk sat down before a 60-inch Kuro and a 65-inch LaserVue at a San Antonio, Texas, HDTV retailer and watched a pair of Blu-ray movies: Ice Age: The Meltdown and Iron Man, along with Pioneer's Kuro test disc. They were unable to get their hands on a distribution amplifier for true side-by-side comparisons, apparently, so they based their observations on watching "the scenes back-to-back on each display a few times, juggling HDMI connections," and on still photos.… Read more

PARIS--Although overshadowed by the flood of hybrids, electric vehicles are winning converts at the world's automakers.

No gasoline backup engine. No onboard generator. And, their advocates add, no emissions.

At last week's Paris auto show, automakers showed off the new wave of electric cars.

True, some were from tiny companies, and some were enhanced golf carts made to putter around gated communities. But Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Smart and coachbuilder Heuliez showed vehicles designed for general use.

Though electrics won't hit the mainstream for several years, proponents fiercely argue that they will eventually win significant market share.

Introducing … Read more

At the 2008 Paris auto show, Mitsubishi unveiled its new five-door Lancer, which should turn heads in the U.S. market.

See all coverage of the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Rising world-wide gas prices triggered automakers to release a new generation of small city cars at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. These cars range from the diminutive Toyota iQ to the more conventionally-sized Hyundai i20. Engine sizes go from 1 up to 1.5 liters, with fuel economies between 40 and 50 miles per gallon. Not much cabin tech is available in these cars, although, judging from its steering wheel buttons, the new generation Ford Ka might be getting the Sync system.

Click here for photos of tiny city cars unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

See all coverage of the 2008 Paris Motor Show. … Read more

We're not sure if "Evo" will be in the model name, but Mitsubishi released photos and specifications for its rally car of the future--2025 to be exact. Today, Mitsubishi is calling this concept the MMR25. It's an electric car, because there's no gas in 2025, and uses four in-wheel motors, plus eight supplemental motors for each wheel.

The details released don't make it clear how the eight extra motors work, but they apparently have something to do with the car being able to drive sideways, as the wheels can turn in any direction. According … Read more

Ever since we saw the Mitsubishi Prototype-X at the 2007 Detroit auto show, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has been at the top of our wish list. Well, near the top, right under the Nissan GT-R. Our desires for the car weren't diminished when we got our first chance to drive the MR version of the new Mitsubishi Evolution earlier this year, running it around the track at Laguna Seca. The car is a performance- and cabin-tech dream, with a look that's pure animal.

The front of the car is mostly grille, a big air intake to keep … Read more

TOKYO--Two new challengers from Japan have joined the race for electric vehicles.

Subaru says it will start fleet sales of a four-seat electric car next year, and Toyota Motor Corp. for the first time has confirmed plans for a battery-powered offering in the early 2010s.

Both companies are stepping up the zero-emissions mantra as Japanese rivals Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. push ahead on what many see as the future of automobiles.

Nissan plans U.S.-fleet sales of an electric vehicle in 2010. Mitsubishi is eyeing a 2010 launch of its electric iMiEV in Japan, followed by Europe and the United States.

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe announced the company's electric-vehicle plans last month at Toyota's annual business strategy meeting. Details were sparse, but R&D chief Masatami Takimoto said the car's range would be limited by the performance of today's batteries.

"For the time being, the most realistic approach is to use pure electric vehicles for short-distance travel," Takimoto said. "So in the early stage of the 2010s, we would like to offer a compact, very small electric vehicle on a small-scale basis."

Toyota has been testing its ultracompact E-com since 1999. But the bubble-shaped runabout seats only two, a load deemed impractical by most electric vehicle contenders.… Read more