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NEWS
TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Evoque style for next ASX
XR-PHEV show car will be the template for next-generation ASX, due within three yearsThe star of the Mitsubishi stand at the Tokyo motor show this week was undeniably the XR-PHEV concept.
As a preview of the next-generation ASX, the XR-PHEV (pictured) offers a dramatic style distanced from the current car's boxy looks by plenty of sweeping lines, heavily flared wheel arches, a high beltline and a low roof... all to convey a wide stance and a low-slung look more in keeping with the Range Rover Evoque.
The three-cylinder engine under the bonnet displaces 1.1 litres and induction is handled by means of direct-injection and turbocharging. While the engine is mounted transversely and drives to the front wheels, Mitsubishi makes no mention of a conventional transmission, referring simply to a transaxle between the motor/generator unit and the front wheels.
The default driving mode is 'EV', with a 120kW electric motor providing the motive power. Two other modes, Series Hybrid and Parallel Hybrid, are selectable on the fly, according to the needs of the driver and the battery.
This show car was confirmed yesterday as the basis for the next-generation ASX, by none other than Mitsubishi Motors Corporation President, Osamu Masuko. The Mitsubishi boss, in a round-table interview with Australian journalists, said of the next ASX that it was a development project subject to "a three-year plan."
According to Masuko-san, the PHEV drivetrain for the XR-PHEV is one designed specifically for front-wheel drive applications. That strongly suggests it will be adopted for other small car model ranges down the track, especially with both the Mitsubishi president and his product and strategy chief Ryugo Nakao telling Australian journalists that the manufacturer plans for 20 per cent of its vehicles sales to be EVs or plug-in hybrids by the year 2020.
The three previously unseen show cars on the Mitsubishi stand were joined by the GR-PHEV light commercial vehicle concept. As motoring.com.au has revealed already – and now confirmed – the GR-PHEV is a preview of the next Triton. While Ryugo Nakao ruled out a diesel/electric hybrid for the new Triton at the time, there will certainly be a hybrid variant to follow, about 18 months after the launch of diesel Triton, says Masuko-san. That will be a conventional hybrid, rather than the plug-in type drivetrain showcased in the GC-PHEV.
Of the other two concepts, the GC-PHEV is a foretaste of the next-generation Pajero, complete with plug-in hybrid drivetrain option. Standing alongside it was the Concept AR – a people mover show car on a long wheelbase, unlikely to be brought to Australia. The car would be too expensive to gain ADR approval unless the UK (or some other volume-buying RHD market) were to share the cost.
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Written byKen Gratton
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