#2011MitsubishiOutlanderSport

Open-air cars are a lot of fun unless that exposure comes as a surprise.

You may love that new car smell, but don’t breathe in too deep – it could make you sick.

Automakers sometimes use volatile chemicals in its cars’ interiors and there’s a study out from the Ecology Center that lists the worst offenders and the safest bets. The problem with that “new car smell” is that it contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are bad for breathing, especially when it’s confined to such a small place – like a car.

Making the worst list are the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, the Chrysler 300C and the Kia Soul. In the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Ecology Center states that its interior “contained bromine and antimony-based flame retardants in the seating and center console; chromium-treated leather on several components; and over 400 ppm lead in seating materials.”

But you can breathe easy in certain vehicles. On the safest cars list, from an interior chemical standpoint, are the Honda Civic, the Toyota Prius and the Honda CR-Z.

You can see what cars make the worst and best lists after the jump.

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Already shown in different markets with different names, Mitsubishi has now revealed what it will call the Outlander Sport for the North American market. A compact crossover, slotting in under the current Outlander model, the new Outlander Sport is a different vehicle (and not just another trim level), with its own unique style. Interestingly, however, it does ride on the current Outlander platform and actually boasts the same overall wheelbase, even though it is roughly 15-inches shorter in length. The reduced size, therefore, has come from the overhangs, making the Outlander Sport inherently more exciting to drive.

Next week Mitsubishi will launch a new compact crossover in North America called the Outlander Sport. Already unveiled in Japan (as the RVR) and in Europe at the Geneva Auto Show (as the ASX), the new crossover gets yet another name for North America. We have to wonder what the marketing folks at Mitsu are thinking with all these different names, and why they would want to confuse customers with the Outlander Sport name – considering Mitsubishi already sells the Outlander and the Outlander GT (which are completely different models).

Mitsubishi displayed the new ASX at the Geneva Auto Show. Leaked photos made their way online last week but we’ve got live images of the crossover, expected in North America as the Outlander Sport.

Images and details of the new Mitsubishi ASX (to be called the Outlander Sport in North America) have leaked online before the car’s Geneva Auto Show debut next week. Several images of the Japanese version of the car have already appeared online (with the ASX called the RVR in Japan), but these photos clearly show a European model.

With Mitsubishi’s Outlander crossover a relative behemoth in the compact crossover category, the company has announced plans to bring a smaller CUV to market. Like the Outlander, it will be based on the Lancers chassis and its design will follow along the lines of the Concet cX (above), that was first shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2007.