By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

The sub-subcompact market is heating up... Between the Chevrolet Spark, Fiat 500 and Scion iQ, the tiny four-seat hatchback is becoming more and more popular. Latest to enter the fray? Mitsubishi, who debuted its new challenger at the Montreal International Auto Show last week.

Known elsewhere as the Mirage, the car will be mildly altered to be more suitable for the Canadian market, most importantly in the engine bay. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder found in most other markets will be bumped to 1.2 litres, although without turbocharging will only provide 74 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque. Mitsubishi says it'll be available with either a five-speed manual transmission or optional CVT.

Mitsu says the new car will be wider than a Spark, taller than an Accent and longer than an iQ, although that last one isn't saying much given the wee Scion's runty length... Styling is, um, there. Basic, economical and - fingers crossed - reliable are three factors the company is pushing as positives.

The car is expected to go on sale this fall as a 2014, and final pricing - and a name! - are expected to be announced before then.

Would Mitsubishi's new offering make you curious enough to test one? How do you think it'll hold its own against the current competition?

By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2013 Outlander Sport (sold in Canada as the RVR) will make their debut at the Los Angeles auto show on Nov. 29. The two vehicles will ride on different platforms and were developed separately, hence the two model years.

As you can see from the picture above, the full-size 2014 Outlander takes a dramatic new styling turn, ditching the Lancer Evolution front end for something more futuristic. It also takes a lot from the 2009 Outlander Concept that we saw at the Tokyo motor show.

The Outlander will feature a new version of the company’s MIVEC engine, which Mitsubishi says will make the CUV one of the most fuel-efficient seven-passenger vehicles available. They declined to go into specifics. Last year’s big Outlander combined for 22 mpg with the V6. We assume the new one will do better than that.

By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos Canada

The last long-weekend of the summer is upon us. Then it’s back to work or school for most Canadians, as yet another summer has come to an end. For new car dealers, it’s time to start stocking up on the new 2013 model-year inventories. But some new cars won’t be returning.

Here’s a list of new vehicles that are being canned for 2013. Let us know which—if any—you’ll miss as they drive off into the sunset:

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and range-extended hybrids do their best work in the city. So perhaps it's fitting that Plug'nDrive, a non-profit company with ties to various power utilities in Ontario, is holding its EV Day in the middle of Canada's largest city. The inaugural event will take place at Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday, August 12 and there will be a number of electrified vehicles on display and available for test drives.

The line-up includes:

- Chevrolet Volt
- Fisker Karma
- Mitsubishi i-MiEV 
- Nissan Leaf
- Smart Fortwo EV 
- Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
- Toyota RAV4 EV (which is built just down the road in Woodstock, ON)

For more information on the event, check out Plug'nDrive's home page.

So here's the big question: would you skip watching the Closing Ceremonies for the London Olympics to check out some high-tech EVs instead?

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

I am a sucker for convertibles. There's nothing I love more than getting closer to the outside - the wind, the noise, the sun. It's fantastic. My first 'official' test drive happened in my first job out of J-school in the early '00s, and I was given a Mitsubishi Eclipse Convertible for a few days' evaluation. Unfortunately, it was late October, and the weather that week had been pouring rain for most of that. Thankfully, the final day ended up being clear, but cold. Maybe a high of three or four degrees, and certainly colder than that during my commute in to work.

Needless to say, I got prepared with a thick toque, scarf, gloves and jacket, put the driver's seat as low as it would go, turn on the seat warmers and cranked the heat. It was definintely chilly, but what a crisp memory! The stares from other drivers were the best part...

The first ride I can remember taking in a drop-top was when I was maybe six or seven, and an aunt and uncle were dropping by our house outside Ottawa. They owned a small British sports car - I remember it being dark brown, but not much more detail than that. Maybe a Triumph Spitfire? Don't think it was an MG. Anyway, while my aunt was chatting with my parents, my uncle found me playing with my Transformers, put a finger to his lips and pointed outside. We both snuck outside like  ninjas to the roadster, and he proceeded to push it out the driveway and started it a little farther down the street so no one inside would be the wiser. I don't remember much more about the drive, but I mentioned this story to my father a few months ago and he swore he'd never known.

Now that I'm a father myself, I'd been trying to figure out how best to give my daughter that same experience (minus the sneaking off, of course). She's now the perfect age to enjoy and appreciate the drive... The 'what car' question was solved when an arrest-me-red Volkswagen Eos - a coupe that turns into a convertible thanks to a mechanical ballet of metal, glass and plastic. Putting her car seat into the back was just about the easiest ever because I didn't have to duck or twist to avoid banging my head on the non-existant roof.

Anyway, that first drive around the block - done at very low speeds with the windows up, by the way - and she was laughing and having a great time. When my wife joined us later, she snapped the picture above. I'm happy that she was ecstatic and that she'll love convertibles as much as I do.

So tell us about your first ride in a drop-top! Fun or fear? Let us know in the comments.

By Nick Gibbs for AutoWeek

Mitsubishi will debut an all-new vehicle at the Geneva motor show in March, but won't confirm that the model will be the next Outlander SUV.

A teaser picture of the vehicle shows a similarity to the PX-MiEV II SUV concept unveiled at the Tokyo motor show last November.

Mitsubishi general design manager Hiroaki Ohtsuka told Automotive News Europe at the Tokyo show that the design of the PX-MiEV II was "70 percent" that of the new Outlander.

Back to basics with Mitsubishi’s new subcompact gas-sipper

By Jeremy Sinek for MSN Autos

On this continent, recently renewed interest in subcompact cars has been fuelled in no small part by the increasing sophistication, size and upscale content of the models on offer.

Nothing wrong with that, except it seems to have left a hole in the market for your basic econobox – you know, the kinda no-frills grocery-getter that’s affordable to buy and a scrooge on gas precisely because it is small, simple and light and doesn’t try to punch above its weight.

Just such a car is the new Mitsubishi Mirage. Taking its name from the original front-drive subcompact of the late 70s, the reborn Mirage makes no pretence to being anything other than basic budget transportation. But although it’s primarily aimed at emerging markets – it goes on sale first in Thailand this coming March – Mitsubishi also says the Mirage could meet the needs of advanced markets where fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions are concerns.

By Hans Greimel, AutoWeek

Mitsubishi is working on a green overhaul of its turbocharged all-wheel-drive Lancer Evolution so the gas-guzzling sedan won't go extinct.

The new vision for the performance car is an gasoline-electric hybrid with in-wheel motors, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko says.

Mitsubishi wants to preserve the brand equity it has established for performance cars and all-wheel-drive vehicles.

By Steve Mertl for MSN Autos

After a delay that frustrated automakers and dealers, British Columbia is joining Ontario and Quebec in offering incentives to make buying electric vehicles more affordable.

The main carrot in the $17-million program is a point-of-sale rebate of up to $5,000 off the sticker price of new battery-electric, fuel-cell electric, plug-in hybrid and compressed natural gas vehicles, starting Dec. 1.

There’s also up to $500 for EV buyers to install high-capacity charging station — an option that cost more than a $1,000 — for people who don’t want to slow-charge their vehicles on house voltage.

Bing: Find an electric charging point near you

By Hans Greimel, AutoWeek

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is getting a new flagship luxury model that could--in Japan at least--be a successor to the Diamante sedan that was killed off in 2004.

Under an agreement announced Sept. 22, Mitsubishi will start selling a rebadged version of the Nissan Fuga sedan--known in the United States as the Infiniti M - in Japan next summer.

Mitsubishi said it is not considering selling the vehicle overseas. It also declined to say what the car would be called or what the company's sales target is.