mitsubishi

Mitsibishi rear-projector goes big for less

If the heyday of the gigantic-screen rear-projection HDTV is over, somebody needs to tell Mitsubishi. The company is the sole remaining proprietor pushing out 60-inch-plus TVs too thick to hang on the wall and too inexpensive to merit a cameo on MTV's "Cribs." Its 2009 lineup features two series of what it calls home theater TVs--to differentiate from its flat-panels--and the WD-737 is the cheapest.

The main reason for buying this TV is to get as much screen for as little money as possible, and the WD-737 series fulfills that role admirably. It can't match the … Read more

Mitsubishi shows production electric car, announces pricing

Not to be outdone by Subaru's earlier announcement of the Stella electric car, Mitsubishi gave full details on the production i-Miev electric car, including sales volume plans and pricing.

Mitsubishi has been aggressive in pushing its electric car plans by putting its i-Miev into test fleet operations and showing it off at auto shows. The company even let journalists drive one at the Detroit auto show.

Mitsubishi announced that it would begin selling the i-Miev electric car in late July, matching the timing of Subaru's Stella electric car sales. But the i-Miev will initially only be available to corporations and government groups. Sales to private buyers will not commence until April 2010.

Unlike Subaru, which will only sell 170 Stella electric cars, Mitsubishi is planning on producing 1,400 i-Mievs for corporate and government lessees. The i-Mievs will go for 4,380,000 yen, or about $45,300 at current exchange rates. Japanese buyers of the i-Miev would qualify for a $14,300 subsidy for electric vehicles from the Japanese government.

The i-Miev uses a lithium ion battery pack and a 47-kilowatt electric motor to get a range of 100 miles.… Read more

A look at World Rally Championship history

I hope you've enjoyed all of this week's video of amazing World Rally Championship racing. I thought a good way to close this series would be this tribute video dedicated to the history of WRC and how it's changed throughout the years--how the cars have changed, and it even includes historical data at the end detailing what cars have won the title and in which year. It's great for knowledge hounds as well as anybody who just wants to see some fine automobiles kickin' up dust and sliding on the asphalt.

Top 5 summer road trip cars

The weather's nice, and the kids are out of school. Time to pack up some gear and head out on the open road for summer fun. But what sort of car will hold the family and luggage for a weeklong excursion without costing an arm and a leg to gas up? We scoured our recent car reviews to find the best cars with modern tech to load up for a summer road trip.

See the top 5 summer road trip cars.

There's an electric car in your future

Change tends to come slowly in the automotive industry, but the pace of electric car development has picked up fast. Major automakers are promising electric cars for sale to the public by 2011 and earlier. Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Ford are all moving ahead, forcing other automakers to get on the ball.

Current battery technology makes a range of 100 miles the magic number to hit, so this first batch of modern electric cars may struggle to gain wide acceptance. But as people find the cost of ownership to be far less than their old gas guzzlers, the popularity of these … Read more

Upcoming CNET HDTV reviews

Like most CNET editors, I get plenty of reader mail asking what products I'm reviewing next, so here's a list of HDTVs I have in-house or, according to the manufacturers, are scheduled for imminent arrival at CNET Labs East. Each list is arranged in general order of priority for review, although that order is by no means set in stone.

HDTVs in-house Sony KDL-52XBR9 Toshiba 47ZV650U Sony KDL-52V5100 Panasonic TC-L32X1 HDTVs arriving soon Samsung LN52B750 Samsung LN46B650 Samsung PN50B650 JVC LT-46P300 Samsung UN46B8000

You'll notice a lot of Samsungs on that list. One reason is that Samsung … Read more

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart first take

Mitsubishi left a large gap between its latest Lancer economy car and the Lancer Evo X, a street-legal professional-grade rally car based on the Lancer platform, both in terms of tech and price. For people who don't want to pay the 40 grand for an Evo X, but want something more fun than the base Lancer, Mitsubishi offers the Ralliart version.

The Lancer Ralliart uses a 2-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine, like the Evo X, but only produces 237 horsepower, 54 less than the Evo. Likewise, torque is at 253 foot-pounds, 47 less than the Evo. Although not as high-stepping as the Evo, we found the Lancer Ralliart delivered thoroughly satisfying performance on the road. The small displacement engine and performance programming make the power come on quickly, while turbo-lag is kept to a minimum by the transmission.

One of the big tech bonuses in the Lancer Ralliart is the standard dual clutch transmission, called Sport Shift Transmission (SST) by Mitsubishi. Essentially a manual transmission, it uses computer-controlled clutches to shift gears, eliminating the clutch pedal. This high tech transmission allows for two shift programs in the Lancer Ralliart (there are three programs in the Evo X), standard automatic shifting and sport shifting. In Sport mode, it holds low gears to keep the engine speed up, so the turbo is almost continuously engaged, meaning no spool-up time.

You can also choose manual mode for gear selection. Unlike the manual modes on most automatic transmissions, gear engagement feels hard and precise, as if you were shifting gears with a manually operated clutch. Another bonus of the SST is better fuel economy over an automatic transmission. … Read more

114: Our Aston Martin DB9 arrives. Oh yeah.

Driving the Aston Martin DB9, EPA starts a new era of emissions controls, GM is still talking bankruptcy, and Mitsubishi pulls the trigger on an electric car.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• CNET drives the Aston Martin DB9 Volante

• Minicars get crushed by bigger ones

• Mitsubishi prepares to launch its electric car

• Details on big GM recall

• Hitler stresses over his Tesla

Mitsubishi electric plans: From show to go in U.S.

Mitsubishi will sell a small electric car in the United States.

The car, a Japan-built ultracompact with a 330-volt lithium ion battery, is being road-tested in Oregon. Mitsubishi plans to begin marketing the car in Japan in July and to introduce it in Europe in 2010. The U.S. launch is tentatively scheduled to happen after Europe's.

Mitsubishi has shown the car, dubbed the i MiEV, to audiences around the world in recent weeks. A left-hand-drive version of the i MiEV was shown last week at the New York auto show.

Moe Durand, a product spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 952: The Last Gasp of Stupid

NBC and the cable companies are teaming up to make it really annoying for you to watch the Winter Olympics onlione. Brian Cooley sums up their plans well, and it's today's title. We also discuss fiber-eating alien insect and solar power beamed down from space.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE_952

Episode 952

Amazon ‘adult’ book-delisting fail: Error or troll? http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10218626-83.html

Cut fiber line knocks out state courts’ communications http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/4949649/

Report: KKR, Warburg, others join founders for Skype buyback from eBay http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10218837-93.html… Read more