You have to wonder about Mitsubishi. The good news for 2011 is that sales are up by over sixty-six percent when compared to last year. In fact, the Outlander Sport was the third-best-selling model in the brand's lineup in June. The bad news is that Mitsu still has a long way to go before it becomes a serious player in the U.S. market.

Although Toyota's Prius has been around since 2000 here in the U.S., sales of what is now the best-selling hybrid in both the American and world markets didn't really catch fire until the second-generation model was introduced as a 2004 model towards the end of 2003.

The phrase "Christmas in July" is often overused, but in this case, I think it's appropriate as last Tuesday Mitsubishi dropped off a 2010 Lancer Evolution SE sedan on our doorstep.

Although the nameplate, itself, has been around since 1994 - about the time Honda came out with the CR-V and Toyota began marketing its RAV4 sales of the Kia Sportage didn't really get off the ground until Kia began marketing the second-generation model of its small crossover utility vehicle in 2004.

The current Lancer represents the ninth generation of the nameplate - matching that of the Honda Civic as well as equaling its Japanese rival in longevity. But as far as sales are concerned, the Lancer lurks in the shadows of the Civic; for even in a down year like 2011, the Honda model has outsold the Mitsubishi by over 10 to 1.

Much of what we like about the new Ford Fiesta has to do with both its exterior and interior styling. As part of the company's One Ford plan Ford of Europe, with its years of expertise in small cars, is responsible for both the engineering and styling of the Fiesta.

While we thoroughly enjoyed driving it, the SE was equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission. And while many of us here prefer a manual especially in a vehicle with sporting pretensions like the Focus, most buyers on this side of the pond will be equipping theirs with an automatic. Another ulterior reason was the fact that Ford's PowerShift dual dry clutch automatic has drawn criticism from owners and pundits alike and, quite frankly, we wanted to experience for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

The subcompact Kia Rio has been hanging around new car dealer showrooms since 2000, when it was sold as a 2001 model. At the time, it was the least-expensive passenger car sold in the U.S.

What happens if you're a struggling Japanese automaker with a model lineup of just four vehicles - the newest of which came out in 2009, total vehicle sales of less than 27,000 a year with just 246 U.S. dealers, half of whom reportedly sell five or fewer cars per month?

What was once little more than a simple truck with a body sporting integrated headlights and a flat, one-piece windshield has morphed into a lineup of mythic proportions.