Truckers, van drivers...
Truckers, van drivers and farmers will be forbidden from smoking in their vehicles as part of a law in Scotland which outlaws lighting up in the workplace from next month. The Road Haulage Association said 50,000 Scottish lorry drivers, as well as hauliers from England and overseas, would be affected.
Only months after launching...
Only months after launching the new Outlander 4x4, Mitsubishi has officially revealed this: its baby Shogun.
Measuring 4.10 metres long, the car is currently known as the Concept-cX, and will make its world debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
It wears the marque’s jet fighter-style grille – already seen on the all-new Lancer – and features electrically controlled four-wheel drive based on the Outlander’s mechanicals. There’s also alloy-look underbody protection on the bumpers and sills.
However, our sources say the model is intended to be a link between the firm’s road cars and its mud-pluggers. That means the production version will be biased towards tarmac use rather than extreme off-roading. There’s
certainly a gap in Mitsubishi’s range, as the small Shogun Pinin – axed in 2006 – was never replaced.
Under the bonnet, the show car gets a 1.8-litre diesel designed to meet the latest EuroV emissions legislation. It’s mated to an automatic transmission, which previews an all-new family of powertrains due in 2009.
Inside, advanced features include what bosses are describing as ‘green’ cabin trim; the plastics are constructed from plant-based resin. However, unlike the Outlander – which has space for seven thanks to a third row of seats which folds out of the boot – the roadgoing version of the Concept-cX will be a strict five-seater. And it won’t be the only new model on the Mitsubishi stand at Frankfurt – fresh petrol and diesel variants of the Outlander are set to debut, too. The 168bhp 2.4-litre petrol and 154bhp 2.2 Di-D join the 138bhp oil-burner in the line-up. And the SUV also features fresh alloys, rain-sensing wipers and a rear parking camera.