Mitsubishi Motors – From Sports Cars to Plug-Ins
After Mitsubishi took its electric vehicle, the i-MiEv out of North America, some may have started to think the automaker was backpedaling out of a currently growing market – hybrid technology and alternative fuel. Today, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Mitsubishi Motors is one of several automakers coming out with concepts and producing alternative fuel vehicles at least once a year for the last few years. There are still consumers that remember Mitsubishi as a sports car brand, and some of us wonder if they’re ever going to return. After the debut of the Engelberg Tourer at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, chances seem low.
Mitsubishi Motors may have shied away from sports cars, but the automaker surely has the sporty look down for its upcoming vehicle concepts. After all, many consumers out there were appalled at the thought of the Mitsubishi Eclipse sports car becoming a crossover, and since its release, many consumers are liking the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross was the newest crossover that Mitsubishi Motors added to the family, along with the North American release of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
“Mitsubishi’s focus is now SUVs, crossover, four-wheel drive, along with alternative fuel technology. Mitsubishi has moved around different brand positionings, whether it’s been Spacestar style vehicles or sports car derivatives, Evo – it’s not had that clarity of focus,” – Rob Lindley, Managing director of Mitsubishi UK
Going back to the summer of 2017, and Mitsubishi Motors had clearly changed its game plan. With a focus on alternative fuel and hybrid SUVs, there was a whole market in the auto industry with still untapped potential. Soon enough, Mitsubishi joined the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and the Alliance 2022 Six-Year Plan went underway. With a large focus on innovations in electrification, connectivity, and autonomous drive technologies, the alliance has been busy investing in startups and developing concepts.
Aside from the concept art for the new Lancer Crossover and the e-Evolution concept, we haven’t seen many “sporty” vehicles from Mitsubishi Motors as of late. They finally changed that with the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. Rolling up was the newest plug-in hybrid concept from Mitsubishi, the Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer.
Some would call the Mitsubishi Engelberg Tourer is a replacement for the aging Outlander PHEV. This is a possibility – although North America only just saw the Outlander PHEV in late 2017, the Outlander PHEV has been spending time overseas for six years. The Engelberg Tourer is stylish but boxy, and will soon become the highlight of Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid vehicles going forward. Huge wheels, video mirrors, and show-car seats all give the Engelberg Tourer an already finished feel, but whether it will have an international release or not is uncertain. After all, Mitsubishi only released the 2019 Triton/L200 pickup truck overseas.
Still, Mitsubishi Motors already has big plans for the Engelberg Tourer concept. The Tourer has the same powertrain of the Outlander PHEV, that includes a gasoline engine and an electric motor on each axle for an electronic all-wheel-drive system with no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles. Power output and battery size were not specified, but Mitsubishi estimated that the vehicle’s EV range could be as much as 43 miles by European standards, which would be closer to 40 by North American standards. It would be a huge jump from the current Outlander PHEV, powered by a 12 kilowatt-hour battery and only gets 22 miles on electric only.
Then Mitsubishi also unveiled the Engelberg Tourer with their Dendo Drive House (DDH). Basically, a power system that lets consumers power their home with their vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors definitely has big plans for future alternative fuel technologies and consumer lifestyle. If the Engelberg Tourer concept gets the greenlight, that could be the start of it all.
Join the discussion on University Mitsubishi social media, and check out the future of Mitsubishi lineup, like the Eclipse Cross and Outlander PHEV.