Report: Mitsubishi to kill Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant

2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse - Click above for high-res image gallery

It turns out the rumors we heard about the languishing Mitsubishi lineup are true. According to Automotive News, Mitsubishi is planning to drop the axe on the entirety of its American-made portfolio of vehicles in order to begin building new global platforms here in the States. That means that the Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant will all be sent to pasture gradually between now and 2014. In their place, Mitsubishi is likely to begin building cars and crossovers off of the Lancer and Outlander bones at the company's Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility. At least some of those vehicles will be hybrid or battery powered.

Mitsubishi has made it clear that the company will offer eight hybrid and battery-powered vehicles by 2015 in a move to be better prepared for rising fuel prices. The company saw a sales increase of around three percent last year, and by 2013 or 2014, the automaker says that it plans to see that figure at 37 percent. That would mean that Mitsubishi would need to move a total of 1.37 million vehicles by that date.

Launch control is back on 2012 Nissan GT-R

2012 Nissan GT-R - Click above for high-res image gallery

The GT-R obessives at NAGTROC managed to secure a copy of the 2012 Nissan GT-R owner's manual and discovered that Nissan has reinstated the formerly verboten Launch Control feature for the 2012 model. But this time it's called something different.

The new name is R Mode Start Function and the screen cap on the right lists off what you need to do to click of 0-60 mph runs in the low three-second range - or even the high twos, according to some preliminary reports.

After several reports of transmissions and half-shafts grenading themselves soon after the GT-R hit U.S. shores, Nissan removed the L.C. feature for the 2011 model year. This revised system seems to do the exact same thing, although the 4,000 rpm rev-limit is significantly higher than the last version and the ECU limits the start function to four consecutive runs before its disabled to protect the GT-R's twin clutches and the rest of the transmission's oily bits.

Gallery: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Opinion: Has Honda lost its footing?

When Honda handed out sketches of an all-new Civic Concept last December, they received a warm welcome from those anticipating big changes for the maker's long-popular compact sedan.

So, the Honda press conference at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show last week triggered more than a bit of confusion - and even some disappointment. True, we journalists are used to seeing things watered down when an automaker moves from sketch to concept, and then from concept to production car. But the Civic Concept revealed in Detroit is no fantasy in chrome. If anything, in terms of design, it's only a moderately warmed-over version of the current compact sedan.

Which raises some serious questions about Honda's strategy at a time when the compact market is becoming more competitive than it has been in years. Until recently, Honda could assume that the only real competition for the Civic would be the Toyota Corolla. No longer.

Drift battle pits c against Kawasaki ZX10

The bike vs car debate extends into the drifting arena - Click above to watch video after the jump

Regardless of where you stand on the "drifting is/isn't a form of motorsports" debate, it's fun to watch a car being piloted on full opposite lock. But is it possible on a motorcycle? Icon Motorsports rider Nick Brocha answers with a fat sideways-smoking yes.

Icon may be know for providing gear for maniacs fans of two-wheeled transportation, but they also sponsor a team of skilled bikers. Brocha is one of those riders and he pits his modded Kawasaki ZX10 against Jim Guthrie and his Corvette-powered Mazda RX-7 drift machine. Add in some cameras and a prime location and we have ourselves an entertaining video, which you can watch after the jump.

Muscles in Brussels: Land Rover launches Defender X-Tech edition in Belgium

Land Rover Defender X-Tech Limited Edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Belgians may not be known as much for military prowess as, say, for beer or waffles - at least not since conquering the Congo, anyway - but Brussels is also the seat of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO was established as a united front against the Communist bloc, and still stands as one of the most formidable alliances of nations this side of the Star Wars empire. A perfect place, then, to unveil a paramilitary-type vehicle like the X-Tech Limited Edition.

Easily as tough as any Hummer or Jeep, the X-Tech is based on the Land Rover Defender - one of the most rock-solid rock-crawlers ever devised. It's available in either silver, three-door Defender 90 form or in five-door Defender 110 long wheelbase in olive green, both offset by black roof, wheel arches, interior and new "saw-tooth" alloys. Not a major upgrade on the standard model, but just enough to give it the attitude it deserves.

Unveiled at the Brussels Motorshow, the Defender X-Tech is unfortunately unavailable in the North American market, but you can dream by checking out the gallery below.

Gallery: Land Rover Defender X-Tech Limited Edition

Your Porsche 911 GT3 isn't that fast...

Tackling Eau Rouge: F1 vs Track-Day cars - Click above to watch video after the jump

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium plays host to a variety of racing events, ranging from from Formula One and touring car to weekend track days. When out on the course in a production car, it might feel like you are conquering the Eau Rouge better than any human on the planet. This video mashup is here to remind that you're not.

This isn't ground-breaking information, but it is interesting to see just how much faster an F1 car is around a series of high-speed turns. Someone over in the VWVortex's Car Lounge decided to overlay two videos of the same corner, and while they don't line up perfectly, you get the point. Check it out after the jump.

BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too!

BYD E6 at 2011 Detroit Motor Show - Click above for high-res image gallery

China automaker BYD is in no hurry to launch in the States, and it shows in its plan.

BYD has been displaying cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for three years now, and it originally planned to launch an electric car by the end of 2012 to consumers. Now that's looking like 2013, according to Mike Austin, vice president of BYD's U.S. division.

In the meantime, BYD is testing some cars in a fleet with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles.

The plan is for the company to find at least five dealers who are willing to not only sell a BYD e6 electric and a plug-in hybrid, called the f3DM, but also BYD LED lights, solar panels and other products related to "green" living. "We aren't pursuing the typical sales and distribution model," says Austin.

BYD has gained notoriety for its rapid rise in China and for the investment in the company made by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which owns 10 percent of the company best known for lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones and other consumer electronics.

Last year, BYD sold 520,000 vehicles in China - impressive but well short of its stated goal of 800,000 units.

Austin says the company has not selected dealers yet, but acknowledged that the business model for selling BYD's other products will not appeal to some dealers. "That's okay, because we are doing something unique here. We are in not in a hurry to launch in the U.S.," says Austin, who noted the growth in the Chinese market that BYD is trying to manage.

The five dealers BYD is looking for at launch is the start of a network planned to grow to 20, and according to Austin, not all of the dealerships at launch will be in California.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: BYD E6