Mitsubishi isn't messing around at October's
Tokyo Motor Show. It has just announced that it will show no less than 16 cars on its stand, two of which will be brand new concepts - and very impressive ones at that.
So let's start with the PX-MiEV, a plug-in hybrid that Mitsubishi reckons can achieve fuel economy in excess of 140mpg. It does that by mating a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors that can work either alone to power the car in carbon-less silent splendour, or in tandem with the petrol unit at higher speeds. One electric motor drives the front wheels, the other the back, so that for the majority of low speed driving only the front one is taking juice from the battery to power the car.
However, in low grip conditions power can be sent to the rear motor to drive the rear wheels too, providing a unique type of green four-wheel drive system. As with the Chevy Volt's technology, when the battery runs flat the petrol motor kicks in and acts as a generator to send power to the electric motors. You also get petrol power driving the wheels at motorway speeds, and all three motors can work together when a burst of aggressive acceleration is needed.
The five-seat crossover features some similar acronyms to the rally-bred Lancer Evolution X, although in this case its S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) and E-AYC (Electronic-powered Active Yaw Control) are there to make sure the car covers ground as efficiently as possible, rather than as fast as possible.
Other innovations on the PX-MiEV include an all-around camera system that shows the driver a 360-degree view of the car for parking and it also gets 'Electronic Toll Collection' technology to make paying for parking easier. We're not sure about that one, though.
Then there's the i-MiEV Cargo, which as you may have already guessed is an i-MiEV based van. In the vein of every other electric delivery van currently seen charging around London, it looks ridiculous. Mitsubishi says that the big box on the rear will 'extend the range of uses to which it can be put by corporate users and self-employed operators in particular.' Quite.
So what are the other 14 cars Mitsubishi is promising at Tokyo? We'd love to tell you, but Mitsubishi was apparently so busy explaining these two that it forgot to mention the other 14. Oh well, maybe we'll know soon...
Mark Nichol - 30 Sep 2009