Daily News: Tuesday 7/25/17

Mitsubishi Evolution IX Sells for $100,000 over MSRPThere are some cars that have gained such a reputation as a tuning platform, that finding a stock example can be a real treasure. Any generation 240sx, any generation WRX, and any generation Mitsubishi Evolution tend to be modified beyond recognition, causing stock examples to hold their value better as the rarity of such a vehicle increases. One California dealer appears to have seen the writing on the wall with the Mitsubishi Evo, and recently revealed that they had an unregistered, delivery mile 2006 Evo IX that they were going to auction using eBay. As the car has not been registered, whoever purchases the car would essentially be receiving a brand-new 2006 Mitsubishi Evo IX.

South Coast Mitsubishi—the responsible dealer—recently concluded the auction for a staggering $138,000. This price is a solid $101,000 over the 2006 MSRP, so it is safe to say the dealer is happy with their investment. The new owner of the 2006 example can take home a 9-mile ‘MR’-spec Evo. This ‘MR’-spec means it has Brembo brakes, Bilstein shocks, BBS wheels, and a 6-speed manual rather than the stock 5-speed. This particular car also has the available ‘No Lift’ aero package, adding the requisite Evolution wing.

Is an unmolested example of a 12-old car worth the same as a nicely equipped brand-new 911 Carrera S? Probably not, but Evo people are crazy…

Dodge Updates Charger’s Officer Protection PackageFiat-Chrysler of America yesterday announced the release of an updated Officer Protection Package available to departments with the 2016/2017 Dodge Charger Police Interceptor. Designed to increase situational awareness, the system uses the Chargers civilian parking sensors and cameras to automatically monitor the surroundings, alert officers to any potential ambushes, and take automatic protective measures if the department so chooses. With a focus on the rear of the vehicle, if the vehicle senses an encroaching intruder, the car can trigger an interior alarm for officers, while locking the doors, rolling up the windows, turning the reverse lights on, and flashing the tail lights, all in an effort to scare off the intruder.

FCA partnered with technology firm InterMotive—which specializes in control modules for vehicles in service—to release the no-cost, immediately available upgrade. If a precinct decides to take delivery of the system, they can enable or disable the automatic intimidation system, and installation is as easy as plugging the module into the OBD II port. While departments located in busy, tight cities may not appreciate the automatic warning system going off to the average passerby, other departments will surely utilize the features. FCA is proud to protect our countries officers and works closely with a police advisory board to develop upgrades and packages.

Mini to Produce EV by 2019

With parent-company BMW shifting more and more of its developmental energies towards the production of electric vehicles and hybrids, it should come as no surprise that Mini is also looking down a similar path. The first hybrid-Mini is set to be released later this year in the form of the 2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman (pictured above), and the company has announced the plans to release a fully electric vehicle by 2019. Mini has produced EV’s in the past, most recently the Mini E in 2009, which was based on the then-current Mini Hardtop two-door. While this was officially a pilot program, and the cars were never officially produced, customers were still able to get their hands on them in select markets through a special lease program. While the 500lb+ battery pack took the area where the rear-seat used to be, the Mini E still only had a range of 100 miles.

The new Mini EV is going to be built similarly to the original Mini E, with modern technologies fixing many of the deficiencies. The new EV will be produced on the current Hardtop Mini two-door, using a battery pack/power plant designed and built by BMW in Germany utilizing the knowledge from the own EV program. The powerplant will then be shipped to the UK, where Mini will mate them with the Hardtop body.

While details are sparse beyond the release date and model-type, it sounds like BMW is taking the technology of the i3 and putting it into the stylish shell of a Mini. I imagine it will do very well in my Northern California community.