Toyota Employs the Help of R2-D2 and C-3PO to Promote Prius Plug-in Hybrid

The Force continues to be strong with two of the most memorable robots to ever grace the silver screen, C-3PO and his plucky astromech companion, R2-D2, from the legendary Star Wars movie series.

In fact, it's so strong that Toyota used the two droids in a new commercial for its Prius Plug-in Hybrid in Japan.

Mind you, as noted on Leopaul's Blog, Toyota is not the first Japanese carmaker to employ the help of C-3PO and R2-D2 in a car advertisement as Mitsubishi had done the same for its Pajero SUV and the RVR back in 1996.

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Mitsubishi Launches New L200 Barbarian Black Special Edition in the UK

The 'black edition' fever has hit Mitsubishi, which has announced the availability of the new L200 Barbarian Black pickup truck in Britain.

The new special edition is based on the double-cab model and sports an array of styling features painted in satin black including the roof, grille, resin guard, wing mirrors and door handles, plus the fuel filler cap, light bezels, fog lamp housings, rear bar and side steps.

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Mitsubishi Lancer EVO Racer Flips Over During Romanian Rally

Romanian rally car driver Daniel Onoriu found himself in a bad situation when his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO flipped over into a ditch during a hill climb in Teliu, Romania, this past weekend.

The accident could have been worse though as Onoriu's car narrowly missed hitting what looks like a Volkswagen Golf that had exited the road earlier. According to our tipster, both Onoriu and his co-pilot suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Watch the video right past the jump.

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Toyota President Lists his Favorite Cars Made by Domestic Rivals

Toyota President Akio Toyoda is not one your typical automotive CEOs, as believe it or not, the 56-year old grandson of the Japanese company's founder actually likes cars [...]. He is a full-time car guy and a weekend racer who has even competed in the Nürburgring 24 hour endurance race.

And like any other car buff, Toyoda's list of favorite cars is not restricted to one brand. However, unlike other automotive executives, Toyoda has no problem revealing which cars he likes from Toyota's domestic competitors in public.

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Mitsubishi Details 2012 Pikes Peak Hill Climb i-MiEV Contenders

As it turns out, Mitsubishi will field not one but two i-MiEV cars in the Electric Class of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, to be held in Colorado from July 3 to 8.

Mitsubishi will enter the fully decked out i-MiEV Evolution prototype, which was teased through a pair of sketches back in March, and a regular production i-MiEV in the event.

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SCOOP: Mitsubishi Mirage Spotted Testing in Europe where it will Launch as the New Colt

While Mitsubishi is still pondering if and when it will offer the new Mirage in the States (Canada has already been confirmed), across the pond, the subcompact model will likely replace the slightly larger Colt.

Our spy shooters caught up with Mitsubishi's testers trying out a thinly disguised Mirage prototype on German roads.

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Mitsubishi to Sell New Mirage in Canada, Pondering U.S. Launch

The new Mitsubishi Mirage sub-compact model has been officially confirmed for Canada while the Japanese automaker is also contemplating the launch of the five-door hatchback in the U.S.

According to Mitsubishi's annual presentation on full-year sales and financial results for the fiscal year 2011 that ended on March 31, 2012, the Mirage will go on sale in North America in the first quarter of 2013 (FY2012/4Q).

Mitsubishi spokesperson Roger Yasukawa told Autonews that the Mirage will be sold in Canada but noted that U.S. sales are still "under consideration" and that "it's still 50-50 right now".

There are a couple of reasons why Mitsubishi is holding back on its decision over the U.S. launch of the Mirage, the first being its tight marketing budget as the company plans to introduce the new Outlander.

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It Came from eBay Hell: Mitsubishi 3000GT Thinks it’s a Ferrari F430

Many aspire to own an exotic Italian supercar from Ferrari or Lamborghini but few people actually realize this dream, which probably explains why there are so many replicas circulating in the car market.

We have long established that the vast majority of supercar clones are built on the Pontiac Fiero but occasionally, you will find a vehicle that you don't normally expect to be used as a base for a replica build.

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MT Puts New VW Golf R and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO Head to Head

In its latest episode of 'Head 2 Head', MotorTrend magazine took the recently launched in the U.S. Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch and compared it against the latest generation of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.

While the two cars share many similarities including, but not limited to, their compact sized bodies that are motivated by 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines driving all-four wheels, they also prove to be very different on the road and the track.

Before you check out the video after the break, we'd like to remind you that the Volkswagen Golf R has 256hp and is priced from $33,900, while the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO gets 291-horses with prices starting from $34,495.

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2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Receives Light Facelift, will be Built in the States from July

This is the refreshed 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which those of you outside States will know it as the ASX or RVR, depending on your location, and it makes its world debut at this week's New York Auto Show.

While the 2013 model brings some design and feature improvements, the most important news about the updated Outlander Sport is that beginning in July, it will be built the United States at the company’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois.

Mitsubishi said that the factory will not only supply cars to dealers in the States, but in foreign markets as well, without providing further details.

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Mitsubishi Bringing Facelifted 2013 Outlander Sport / ASX to the New York Auto Show

It's only been on the market since spring of 2010, but Mitsubishi feels that it's time for its Outlander Sport, which some of our readers will know as the ASX and RVR, to receive a mid-life facelift.

The Japanese automaker revealed on Wednesday that the refreshed 2013 Outlander Sport will break cover at the New York International Auto Show on April 4.

Even though we don't get any photos of the 2013 Outlander Sport (what you see here is the current, 2012 model), Mitsubishi outlined the most important changes for its compact crossover.

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Mitsubishi's Budget Mirage Supermini Enters Production, Launches in Thailand

The all-new Mitsubishi Mirage, a no-frills supermini that we first saw at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, has entered series production at the company's brand-new factory at Laem Chabang in Thailand.

The Japanese automaker's "global compact car" will first go on sale in Thailand next week before it is exported to other Southeast Asian countries followed by Japan, Europe and other markets around the world later this year.

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Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX Rally Driver has One Very Scary Crash

Many are drawn to the world of rallying, but the nature of the sport means that accidents can and do occur. Some incidents are worse than others, but fortunately, safety regulations have come a long way in the past few decades protecting drivers whenever there's a mishap like the one you're about to watch right past the break.

This incident involved a previous generation Mitsubishi Lancer EVO and it took place during the recent Rally Orfű in Hungary.

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2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Makes its World Premiere in Geneva [61 Photos + Videos]

Two generations and close to a million sales after the introduction of the first Outlander in 2001, Mitsubishi today presented the all-new third iteration of its crossover model at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show.

The shape and styling of the new Outlander won’t come as a surprise to anyone that has been following the news as it was previewed by the Concept PX-MiEV at last December's Tokyo Motor Show.

In fact, there are very little differences between the two cars, mainly the softer front end and certain production bits such as the exterior mirrors. Mitsubishi itself describe the new Outlander's exterior as "solid, safe and simple".

The interior has the same understated / bland styling as the exterior with Mitsubishi promising high-grade materials with padded surfaces and soft-touch plastics. Like the second gen Outlander, the new model will continue to carry five or seven people.

At 4,655mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,680mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,670mm, the new Outlander is identical in size to the current car in all dimensions.

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