Mitsubishi Motors has been selected by the New Zealand Government Procurement Development Group to supply vehicles for use by all government agencies over the next five years. more

Mitsubishi’s 4WD Triton truck just got tougher with an upgrade to three tonne braked towing capacity across the range.

Improvements to the Triton range include a strengthened chassis to facilitate the new tow weight and a new high-efficiency air filter with pre-filter to provide the best possible ... more

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer , due in New Zealand in August, will be 20% quieter than its predecessor.

“Significant upgrades to insulation have made a very noticeable difference to sound intrusion,” said MMNZ head of sales and marketing strategy Daniel Cook...” more

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand announces the pending arrival of the all new ASX (Active Smart Crossover) as the brand enters the compact crossover segment with a roar. more

Mitsubishi Motors posts a strong start to 2010 as its first quarter’s month-on-month growth reflects buyer enthusiasm for the brand’s new product line-up.

“Our new high-performance Triton, Challenger and Outlander models in particular have found a very receptive audience” said head of sales and marketing strategy Daniel Cook. more

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand has made two senior appointments in sales and marketing. Warren Brown becomes General Manager Sales and Marketing.

Daniel Cook becomes Head of Sales and Marketing Strategy, responsible for all marketing and retail sales. more

Eight top-performing car and truck dealers were recognised for their business and customer-care excellence at the annual Mitsubishi Motors Diamond Dealer awards.

Success in the 2009 automotive industry required dedication and a lot of hard work – two qualities celebrated by Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand in the achievements of its top dealers. more

Three new entry-level specifications of popular Mitsubishi models have been launched this week, meeting the needs of a broadening customer base.

The 2WD 2.0 L LS Outlander and the ES Lancer sedan and hatch variants will slot in beneath the current offerings, providing another option for price-conscious buyers, said Mitsubishi Motors marketing communications manager Daniel Cook. more

We report with great sadness the death, in a tragic horse-riding accident a few days after Christmas, of Brilliant magazine editor Helen Bain.

Helen was the magazine’s founding editor, a task to which she brought the zeal, flair and insightful writing that had characterised her journalistic career. While reporting for the Dominion she became that rare creature, a female motoring writer, later political editor for the Sunday Star Times, and more recently communications manager with Forest & Bird. more

The hugely popular Challenger nameplate today makes a welcome return to the Mitsubishi Motors stable, promising to build up an even bigger fan club of owners than when it was last available in New Zealand.

Those fans will be taken aback by the advances the all-new 2010 model has made, from its high level of on-road comfort and driveability to its low-range four-wheel drive ability. more

Read why NZ 4WD magazine voted Pajero their 2009 4WD wagon of the year:

“The Pajero is one of the iconic models of the 4WD world, but in its latest iteration it has become more than just an offroader, with features for the rest of the family, too, including a built-in DVD player and screens. However it still maintains its legendary off-road ability, even better with new engines and gearboxes.

The Mitsubishi Pajero is a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, in short wheelbase guise, it’s one of the best off-roaders around.

Nippy, manoeuvrable, eminently capable. On the other side of the coin, the long wheelbase version has become a family package, complete with, in the case of the Exceed version tested here, a drop-down DVD player and Wifi earphones for rear seat passengers. more

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand announces the arrival of the new Outlander featuring a distinctive and aggressive styling make-over which includes the company’s trademark “jet fighter” grille, and a host of new comfort, convenience and safety appointments. Improvements to the “Outlander’s engineering include the addition of Hill Start Assist on all models and Super All Wheel Control to “V6 models.

“Outlander has performed superbly,” said Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “With the option of five or seven seats it integrates well into large families and commercial users like the space, engine options and, of course, the price. more

Faster, safer, harder – Mitsubishi’s 2010 Triton ( leads the 4WD diesel ute segment on power and safety and its new extended tray squares off a stauncher look.

Among a raft of changes, four-wheel drive models in the 13-strong range receive a new common rail 2.5 litre high-powered turbo-diesel engine; eight models have side and curtain airbags and all but four workhorse variants boast stability and traction control.

“This is a major upgrade for Triton and we’re thrilled with the result,” said Mitsubishi Motors general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “We’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it and the class-leading power, torque and safety speak for themselves. more

From 1 November, buyers of every new Mitsubishi car, SUV, ute or van will benefit from the “Diamond Advantage” ten-year (or 160,000km*) powertrain warranty and five-year (or 130,000km*) bumper-to-bumper mechanical warranty.

The new customer care package also includes five years’ roadside assistance.

“We’re delighted to offer this unprecedented level of assurance to our new car customers,” said general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “It demonstrates the faith we have in the long-recognised reliability of our vehicles.” more

Tokyo, June 5, 2009 — Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV *1 *2 new-generation electric vehicle (EV), describing it as "the pioneer that will open the door to the next 100 years of our automobile society." The i-MiEV will go on sale on the Japanese market in late July of this year. more

Hayden Paddon today solidified his reputation as a driver moving up in the world, winning the NAC Insurance International Rally of Whangarei in his Mitsubishi Evo 9 by a minute over Australia’s Cody Crocker.

Not only did Geraldine’s Paddon and co-driver John Kennard eclipse Crocker, the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) leader, they now head the Vantage New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC). more

Mitsubishi Motors’ innovative Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) has been named the Best New Technology for 2009 at the Canadian Car of the Year awards.

The all-wheel drive technology – standard in Mitsubishi’s new Lancer Evolution X – is an advanced vehicle dynamics control system that uses sensors to measure the driver’s intent and then ensure the vehicle can safely achieve the driver’s desired path. more

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand and Meridian Energy today launched a trial of the first mass produced new generation electric vehicle to come to New Zealand - the revolutionary Mitsubishi i MiEV.

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand chief executive John Leighton says Meridian is an ideal partner for the i MiEV project because the power company produces renewable energy and has a strong focus and commitment to sustainability. more

Sleepy United Kingdom residents will need to forgo hitting the sack before nine o’clock if they want to indulge in some light-hearted Kiwi humour, courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ).

The company’s top-rating Lancer ad, which was a finalist in the Fair Go Ad Awards, launched in New Zealand in 2007. It will be on air in the UK from 9 February – but no earlier than 9pm after broadcasting authorities deemed it inappropriate for younger viewers. more

The legendary Dakar rally is due to kick off early in the New Year and, as it celebrates its 31st anniversary, it also marks the beginning of a new era for the famous rally.

Terrorist threats forced race officials to call-off the 2008 Dakar for the first time in its history. A new route through South America was subsequently planned for 2009, while retaining its iconic Dakar association. The Argentina-Chile Dakar consists of 9,574km of desert, rocky terrain and stunning mountainous landscapes. more

Mitsubishi Motors and Zealandia -the Karori Sanctuary Experience have announced a new four year partnership, coinciding with the rebranding of Wellington’s award winning, 225 hectare conservation project.

“Like Zealandia’s 500 year vision, Mitsubishi are also looking to the future and conservation with the development of the innovative iMiEV electric car, due here in February next year,” Zealandia CEO Nancy McIntosh-Ward said. more

The Mitsubishi Colt Plus has proven that the hype over hybrid cars is exactly that.

Four days of driving from Auckland to Wellington return on the AA Energywise Rally saw the five-door Mitsubishi win its category and finish second overall, in between two competitor hybrids of the same make and model.

Achieving an average consumption of 4.8L/100km for the round-trip, the 1.5L hatchback finished first in the small car category, bettering its publicised fuel consumption (5.5L/100km) by almost three-quarters of a litre per 100 kilometres. more

Diesel engines are at the forefront of automotive CO2 emission reduction and are rapidly increasing in popularity and quality. The latest iteration of the Pajero from Mitsubishi Motors reflects the trend, delivering significantly better performance for less fuel.

“The 2009 Pajero’s 3.2L Direct Injection Common Rail Intercooled Turbo Diesel power plant has seen significant improvement over its predecessor,” said MMNZ general manager of marketing and sales Peter Wilkins. It now delivers 18% more power and 23% more torque, yet boasts a 12% reduction in fuel consumption, traveling 100km on just 9.2 litres of diesel. more

Already one of the safest bets around with its 5-star ANCAP rating, Mitsubishi Lancer is upping the ante. Welcoming the new Ralliart and Hatch variants to its ranks, the Lancer range offers greater versatility and more spirited driving than ever before.

“The big story is the inclusion of the Hatch,” said Mitsubishi Motors NZ’s sales and marketing general manager Peter Wilkins. “The small and medium car segments are dominated by Hatch sales and its arrival provides options for Lancer customers wanting greater versatility. more

New Zealand’s youngest-ever rally-driving champion has helped power Mitsubishi to a virtual clean sweep of the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship.

Geraldine’s Hayden Paddon, 21, dominated the six-race series with impressive consistency to take the title with one round remaining.

Chris West finished third overall in his Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Evo IX. His and Paddon’s accumulated points gave Mitsubishi a comfortable lead over Subaru to secure the Manufacturer’s Trophy. more

Mitsubishi Motors, 12-time winner of the Dakar Rally, introduces the new Racing Lancer – a leaner, meaner and greener cross country rally machine that the company hopes will help it to an historic eighth successive victory in the event.

To meet that challenge, Mitsubishi has developed a 3.0L V6 turbo-biodiesel engine, which provides a mammoth 650Nm of torque and a maximum power output of 206kW. If successful, Racing Lancer will become the first biodiesel-engined car to win the Dakar Rally – and the most eco-friendly. more

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand has announced a franchisee change in Taupo.

Current dealer principal of Taupo Mitsubishi, Steve Hartnell, is stepping back from car sales to focus on his service business Taupo European. Deon Cooper of Wings and Wheels Taupo Limited will take over the Mitsubishi franchise on 22 September. more

Over the past 14 days, just under 35,000 Kiwis have voted for their favourite 2008 Paralympian to win a Mitsubishi Outlander VRX.

With just under 50% of all the votes, triple-gold medalist Sophie Pascoe is New Zealand’s favourite Paralympian and the proud owner of a brand new Outlander – New Zealand’s favourite SUV. more

Chris West is focused on securing second place in the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship when the final round gets underway in Nelson this weekend.

His Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Evo IX performed well in the early stages of the Rally of New Zealand but a spate of bad luck forced him to withdraw. more

New Zealand will be one of the first countries in the world to host the highly anticipated Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (i MiEV) early next year.

Representatives from national and local government and interested organisations will be invited to drive the i MiEV, reinforcing to New Zealanders that a new age in transport technology is upon us. more

Catherine Burgess of Whangarei is the lucky new owner of a Mitsubishi Outlander after she voted for her favourite Olympian in the ‘Win an Outlander’ competition.

Along with 75,000 other New Zealanders, Catherine logged onto the TVNZ website and cast a vote for her favourite Olympian – in her case for Moss Burmester. more

Mitsubishi’s Customer Care Centre has been voted the best in the New Zealand automotive industry.

At the 2008 Contact Centre awards - the “Oscars” of the customer service world - the judges credited the Mitsubishi team’s “high quality customer service” and “dedication” for its final-round success over Ford and ’07 winner Toyota. more

Hayden Paddon has won the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship with one round remaining. He is the youngest-ever champion and has demonstrated skill and maturity beyond his 21 years to claim the title.

Driving a Lancer Evo IX, Paddon’s second place in the NZRC field at the Rally of New Zealand took him to an unassailable points lead. He also went on to complete the third day of rallying and become the first Kiwi home, finishing 14th overall in an international field including FIA World Rally Championship stars. more

The New Zealand Paralympic team is in Beijing readying themselves for the 2008 Paralympic Games and Kiwi’s expectations of them to add to the success of last month’s Olympic campaign are mounting.

The 30-strong New Zealand team has a target of 13 medals at the 2008 Paralympic Games and the hard work they have put in will get them the results they deserve. more

Chris West’s hopes of a podium finish at the 2008 Rally of New Zealand were dashed when he was forced to withdraw on the third day following a frustrating weekend of rallying.

West was the leading Kiwi in the early stages on Day 1 and was comfortable with his car’s performance. However, 10km from the first service break the steering wheel broke off and he had to battle to the end of the stage using the small piece of plastic that remained. more

Predictions came true when New Zealand’s ‘Super Saturday’ at Beijing turned out to be just that. After three rowing medals and a cycling medal, world No.1 shot-putter Valerie Vili topped the night off with another golden performance.

After laying low during the week leading up to her competition, Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand - sponsored Valerie came out with all guns blazing. more

With preparations almost complete, Chris West is eager to get amongst the international Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC) field at this weekend’s Rally New Zealand (29-31 August).

As a P-WRC wildcard entry, Chris will be competing against many of the world’s top rally drivers as well as fellow Kiwi Mitsubishi driver Hayden Paddon. more

Over the past 16 days, more than 75,000 New Zealanders voted for their favourite 2008 Olympian to win a Mitsubishi Outlander.

In the last days of voting, it became a close-fought race. However, Mahe Drysdale held his early lead to victory and has received the keys to New Zealand’s favourite SUV.

“Mahe’s ‘perform at all costs’ attitude almost certainly inspired people around the country,” said Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand’s managing director John Leighton. “He shone through immense adversity and the result reinforces the fact that while we [New Zealanders] like winning medals, we are equally, if not more, inspired by outstanding performances.”more

The weekend’s bad weather hampered more than just travellers and skiers – the conditions also challenged Chris West and the New Zealand Rally Championship field.

Lying in second place after the first day, Chris and the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Rally team were confident of a strong performance on Day 2. However, heavy overnight rain rendered some stages impassable and thwarted any hopes of an attack. Officials were forced to abandon the second day and declare the first day’s results final, leaving Chris West stranded behind winner Hayden Paddon.more

Mitsubishi driver Chris West is aiming for his third consecutive win when he competes at the fourth round of the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship in Hawke’s Bay this weekend.

Chris returned to impressive form at the International Rally of Whangarei, Round 3 of the NZRC. He clinched ten out of the fifteen stages in the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi to take his first win of the 2008 championship.more

Chris West will compete against many of the best rally drivers in the world at the New Zealand round of the Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC) in August.

Selected for one of two wildcard entries, West and the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi team are thrilled and optimistic about the opportunity.more

International Rally of Whangarei winner Chris West will compete in the 185km Rally of Waitomo on Saturday.

West showed that he is back to his Championship winning best, taking out the Northland event in the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi Evo IX. However, he was not entirely happy with the performance and sees the Waitomo as an opportunity to complete some more testing and “do some more kilometres in the car”.

“We had a really good time on day one of Whangarei,” said West. “The car felt good and we had the confidence to really push. Day two was wet and I wasn’t as comfortable with the set-up.more

G8 leaders will travel in Mitsubishi Motors electric vehicles at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July.

Ten i-MiEV’s (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicles) will be used to transport visiting world leaders and will also be available for test drives, providing the heads of government with an insight into the practicality and environmental benefits of the i-MiEV.more

Canterbury’s Chris West has proven that he is back to his best, comprehensively winning the International Rally of Whangarei this weekend.

“We’ve had a challenging start to our 2008 campaign,” said an elated West, “but we’ve worked hard, kept our heads, regained our confidence and raised the bar. I’m stoked!”more

New Lancer’s uncompromising, safety-conscious design has achieved the highest recognition possible from the Australian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP), achieving the highest possible rating of 5-stars.

Mitsubishi developed the new Lancer to the highest safety specifications, targeting the 5-star standard. It was one of the first in its class to offer driver’s knee airbags as standard and features a range of measures to protect all vehicle occupants.more

Currently fourth in the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship, Chris West and the Andrew Simms rally team are determined to improve their standing in the upcoming Rally of Whangarei.

They are also hoping to shed their run of misfortune. Penalties cost them precious points in Wairarapa and the first stages on day one and two in Otago produced a puncture and a failed turbocharger hose clamp, costing them over five minutes.

Incidents aside, West has consistently set top-three stage times, securing fourth place overall in the championship.more

A difficult weekend for the Andrew Simms rally team at Rally Otago didn’t stop them moving up the rankings to secure fourth position in the 2008 New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC).

Halfway through the first special stage of the event Chris West and his co-driver Garry Cowan were forced to stop and change a flat tyre. The crew worked hard to regain the time throughout the remainder of day one but had to settle for fifth overall, 3m 56s behind the leader.more

Selection of the New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic teams is almost complete and now Mitsubishi Motors customers can join the team with the release of a limited edition Olympic vehicle range.

Pajero Exceeds, Triton GLSs and all Outlander, except the 3-litre V6 LS, comprise the range, which boasts up to $6,500 of additional specifications. Pajero’s and Tritons are priced well below recommended retail while the additional features come at no extra cost over the standard Outlander.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the NZ Olympic and Paralympic teams and we want our customers to share in that excitement,” said Mitsubishi marketing manager Daniel Cook. “By purchasing one of these vehicles, our customers are getting some unique, special additions for a great price and demonstrating their support for the New Zealand athletes.”more

Bolstered by popular new product and a buoyant new-car market, Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ) has sprinted into third position in the market for March.

“It’s a brilliant result,” said MMNZ general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “Our current small-car promotion for Colt and i-car has delivered record sales, but more importantly all of our new products have been very well received.”

Doubling the previous month’s sales, 167 fuel-efficient Colts were registered in March and Outlander continued its dominant run with 137 registrations. Strengthened by a new 2WD specification, the Triton range delivered 103 units into the market and the recently launched new Lancer also performed well, selling 97 units.more

The Mitsubishi Outlander was the best-selling SUV in New Zealand in 2007 with 1,655 registrations.

“We are thrilled with the success of this vehicle, it has been an outstanding model for us,” said Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins.

“With increasing fuel prices and environmental concerns, consumers are looking to retain the versatility of an SUV but still do their bit to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, in this regard Outlander offers excellent value. more

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has reported a net profit of 21.7 billion yen for the first nine months of fiscal 2007, a 33 billion yen increase over the same period in 2006.

A surge in global sales, particularly in Europe and Asia, has lead to the profit hike. Demand for the Mitsubishi brand resulted in a 47.7% rise in exports from Japan in December, marking the 14th consecutive month of year-on-year increases – a record since spinning off truck and bus operations. more

The latest enhancement to the Triton range is the addition four new 2WD diesel variants. All are GLX workhorse specifications, available as single or double cabs with manual or automatic transmissions.

“This is a fantastic boost to our Triton range,” says national sales manager Warren Brown. “We have had to wait for global production to catch up with demand but their arrival adds another important string to our bow in terms of complete offering for the segment.” more

Eight top-performing car and truck dealers were recognised for their business and customer-care successes at the annual Mitsubishi Motors Diamond Dealer awards.

Among them was Andrew Busler of Andrew Simms Mitsubishi in Newmarket, Auckland, whose outstanding 2007 performance saw him also collect the coveted Managing Director’s Award.

“Inspirational is the only word to describe Andrew’s commitment to his customers and to the Mitsubishi brand,” said Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “His determination to achieve success has been exceptional. more

Mitsubishi Triton has scored four stars in the latest Euro NCAP crash testing round, beating its nearest competitor by more than 65%.

Tested with the Triton were the Nissan Navara and the Isuzu D-Max/Rodeo which scored 1.5 and 0.5 stars respectively. more

Shot put superstar Valerie Vili has been voted the best athlete in New Zealand for 2007 at the highly acclaimed Halberg Awards.

Valerie’s outstanding sporting performance both in New Zealand and internationally secured her the coveted prize and the title of Sportswoman of the Year.

Other finalists for the Supreme Award included rowing world champion and 2006 recipient Mahe Drysdale, yachtsman Brad Butterworth and mountain runner Jonathan Wyatt. more

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd (MMAL) together with its parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has announced that its production facility in Australia, which manufactures only the large 380 sedan, will cease operations from the end of March.

No other products in the Mitsubishi range will be affected by this decision which will see MMAL move from an importer and manufacturer to a full-line importer. more

The production version of the most successful four-wheel drive in the history of cross-country rallying – the iconic Mitsubishi Pajero - has been voted 4WD Wagon of the Year and overall 4WD of the Year by New Zealand 4WD Magazine.

“The Pajero is the only 4WD model in New Zealand to offer long and short wheelbase options,” says NZ4WD editor John Oxley. “Both are superb on and off the road and have the electronic driver aids found on more expensive SUVs, including traction control and rear diff lock. more

The development of the environmentally-friendly lithium-ion battery as a high-performance alternative to fossil fuels is rapidly advancing with the establishment of a Japanese joint-venture company - Lithium Energy Japan.

Battery-maker GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have united with the aim of broadening lithium-ion battery applications, developing related business ventures and promoting the use of electric vehicles. more

When the 30th anniversary of the world-renowned Dakar Rally kicks off in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on January 5, Mitsubishi’s four-Pajero team will be targeting their 13th victory – the eighth in succession.

With 570 entries – 205 cars, 245 motorbikes, 20 buggies and 100 trucks – it is the second biggest field since 1988. more

It’s finally here! Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand has announced the arrival of the latest in performance car development the Lancer Evolution X.

“This car is truly brilliant,” said MMNZ general manager of sales and marketing Peter Wilkins. “MMC’s corporate philosophy is to deliver products that provide ‘driving pleasure’ and ‘utmost quality and safety’, in Evo X they have achieved that. It takes the stunning looks of the new Lancer range and combines them with state of the art automotive engineering, and the result is quite phenomenal.” more

It’s often been the case that the most advanced safety packages are confined to the more expensive cars in a range.

Not so with Mitsubishi’s latest Lancer.

Every model in this five-car range shares exactly the same safety features, everything from advanced active safety systems like traction control to the reassurance of seven-airbag crash protection. more

The Mitsubishi Triton range has been expanded to 18 models following several new additions. This allows Mitsubishi to offer one of the broadest selections of utility vehicles in New Zealand.

The single and double cab 4WD GLX diesel workhorse models are now available with auto transmission and with the option of a factory-fitted tray or as a cab chassis. more