21 Nov 2013

Mitsubishi at the Tokyo Motor Show

Graham King looks at what Mitsubishi has brought to the Tokyo Motor Show


You can probably take the styling of Mitsubishi’s Tokyo concepts with a grain of salt. But their next-gen drivetrains could well be on the way.

There could be bits of the next Shogun in the Concept GC-PHEV’s styling. But whenever the new Shogun does arrive, I would be surprised if it isn’t underpinned by at least of the GC’s drivetrain. It uses a 3-litre, supercharged V6 MIVEC petrol engine powering the rear wheels via an eight-speed auto ‘box. Somewhere in the middle is a plug-in hybrid system, the motors presumably powering the front wheels.

The Concept XR-PHEV and Concept AR both use 1.1-litre, turbocharged MIVEC petrol engines, coupled to hybrid systems. A compact SUV, the XR (a first look at the next ASX, perhaps) uses a plug-in system, while the AR MPV is a mild hybrid, using a similar system to the Prius.


Article by Graham King