Mitsubishi Mi-Tech conceptHandout / Mitsubishi What is it?Mitsubishi is capitalizing on its unexpected leadership in the plug-in SUV segment. For now the Mi-Tech is a concept, but Mitsubishi has something of a history of making bold or at least unexpected moves.Why does it matter?Mitsubishi, having already sold 200,000 Outlander PHEVs worldwide, finds itself not only the most popular plug-in SUV in Canada, but the whole world. Not one to look such a gift horse in the mouth, Mitsu is looking for ways to expand on its zero-emissions leadership, hence the Mi-Tech concept revealed here at the Tokyo Motor Show.Check out all of our latest auto show coverageRadically different, the Mi-Tech is a convertible crossover concept unique in offering no less than four electric motors. Yes, a separate electric motor at each wheel, which means as you may have already guessed the resultant Quad Motor 4WD System system is able to control each wheel independently. Like the Outlander PHEV, the Mi-Tech has a range extending fossil fuelled engine. But, it a complete departure its a concept, after all the Mi-Techs range extender isnt an internal combustion engine. Instead, in the most radical departure yet for a hybrid vehicle, the Mi-Techs range is extended by a gas turbine engine.The reasons for the way-rad powertrain, says Mitsubishi, are many. For one, gas turbines are small and compact. More importantly, they put out an amazing amount of power given their small size. They also and this is of no small import, given the hoped-for global impact of a plug-in SUV can run on multiple fuels; besides gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and alcohol are all turbine-friendly. When is it coming?Exactly like this? Never. Its a concept. As far-fetched as a convertible crossover may seem, however, one shouldnt discount Mitsubishis willingness to innovate where others fear to tread. If anyone can make a turbine-powered hybrid commercially viable, its Mitsubishi.Should you buy it?Mitsubishi firmly believes that a plug-in hybrid powertrain is ideal for mid-sized vehicles that travel frequently over long distances. We agree. As for the turbine, its been tried numerous times over the years most notably by Chrysler, but in all those cases, it was the primary powerplant. Turbines have terrible transient response i.e. they respond poorly to throttle inputs but they are very efficient at steady speeds, exactly what a PHEV needs as a range-extender in a plug-in hybrid. This concept is not as crazy as it might seam. Lets hope Mitsubishi pursues
Origin: Mitsubishi keeps the EV ball rolling with the funky Mi-Tech concept
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News Roundup: Boat on highway causes waves of puns, 2020 Shelby GT500 gets priced, and Rivian keeps on poaching
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.A police photo of a boat blocking a Toronto highway has turned into a national caption contestCaption? This boat ended up on #Hwy407 at Dixie Rd tonight. No one hurt. #HappyCanadaDay pic.twitter.com/rDU3sePzJ7 Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) July 2, 2019When Ontario police got a call about a boat blocking a lane-and-a-half of traffic on the GTA’s 407 ETR Highway on Canada Day, they knew just what to do: Snap a photo and post it to Twitter, obviously. The OPP’s official Twitter account shipped out a photo of the mid-size motorboat beached in the left lane, calling for the public to caption it. And the public, Driving.ca’s commenters included, did not disappoint. There were a ship-ton of boat puns, some fun Photoshop work, and a few solid references to Gilligan’s Island, which it turns out is still the most relevant piece of nautically-themed pop culture. The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500’s price tag nears six digitsFord has released pricing for the upcoming Mustang Shelby GT500, the most powerful Mustang ever made. The 2020 Shelby GT500 will go for $94,675 in Canada, which isn’t what the kids would call ‘el cheapo’. However, it’s a lot of car, with “the most torque-dense V8 ever,” according to the brand, good for 625 lb.-ft. of torque alongside 760 horses. Should you care to spend even more on mechanized muscle, Ford is happy to accommodate. There’s the Carbon Fibre Track Package that adds bare carbon-fibre 20-inch wheels and racing tires, a GT4 adjustable wing and more; or, for a little less, the Handling Package with a Gurney flap rear spoiler and front splitters. A hearse driver with a corpse in back argues right to use HOV laneA headline out of Nevada is serving as a reminder to funeral employees that if you’re going to use the HOV lane, your passenger has to have a pulse. When Nevada highway patrol pulled over a Dodge Grand Caravan traveling in the HOV lane with what appeared to be a sole occupant in the vehicle, they were met with an interesting argument by its driver. There was a passenger, the local funeral home employee told the officer—they just weren’t in a seat, rather in a casket in the back. Clever, but not technically legal. The driver was let off with a warning.What do truck nuts really say about a driver? There are many offensive and unnecessary ways to decorate your car, from the classic bumper sticker to gawd-awful accessories like headlight eyelashes, but king among them in terms of outrageousness are the truck testicles, a.k.a. TruckNutz. Now, columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld isn’t a fan of most car decorations, believing decor should be saved for the home, but she’s especially turned off by the dropping sacks that adorn the rear hitch of some of the world’s least discerning driver’s vehicles. So, if you own a set of TruckNutz and have an actual good reason why you feel the need to set them swinging from your F-150 – other than “balls, tee hee” – she wants to hear from you. We all do. Rivian can’t stop, won’t stop poaching employeesThe race to the world’s first long-range electric pickup truck is a hungry one. In an attempt to fight to the top of the pile, EV startup Rivian has been steadily leeching employees from automotive and tech competitors like Tesla, Ford, McLaren and especially Faraday Future. Since last spring, the Michigan-based company has doubled its number of staff, with nearly 50 engineers and other staff coming over from the struggling EV brand Faraday Future, many of whom had been furloughed by the company. The latest big hire made by Rivian, however, was of an Apple employee. Mike Bell, who helped bring the first-gen iPhone to market, will serve as Rivian’s first CTO. The 2019 Mazda MX-5 is the same old Miata we love, only now with more powerFun. That’s the Mazda MX-5 Miata’s modus operandi. Always has been. That’s why, when the previous-gen MX-5 (aka the NC) hit roads with a bigger body and a less powerful engine, some fans were… we won’t say disappointed, but confused. This year, though, Mazda has decided to clear things up with a return to the nimble nature and a boost of 26 horsepower. The 2019 MX-5 Miata once again plays to its strengths with a spirited four-cylinder engine, spot-on chassis and a host of other performance upgrades that make this generation one of the G.O.A.T.s. As reviewer Nick Tragianis notes, “On a tight, serpentine road, the Miata is more of the same, but better.”The 2019 Ford Ranger narrowly misses Top Safety Pick award at IIHS crash testsIt was the darned headlights. Thanks to a “marginal” rating given to the lamps, the 2019 Ford Ranger just missed the Top Safety Pick at this year’s IIHS safety tests. But it still did pretty well, earning a “superior” for front crash prevention, “good” for five
Origin: News Roundup: Boat on highway causes waves of puns, 2020 Shelby GT500 gets priced, and Rivian keeps on poaching
BMW keeps teasing its R18 concept, with retro bike bowing in Italy
BMW Motorrads 2019 R18 ConceptBMW VILLA D’ESTE, ITALY—BMW’s prolonged launch of its proposed new cruiser continues, with yet another “concept” version of the R18 revealed at the recent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Como, Italy. It continues the outlandish themes of the two previous concepts – by Japanese customizer Custom Works Zon; and Austin, Texas hot-rodder Revival Cycles, respectively – but with more customary BMW Boxer motifs. So while this Motorrad version, designed in Munich but crafted in Sweden by Unique Custom Cycles, does feature an outlandish 21-inch front wheel and wildly idiosyncratic Solex dual-throat carburettor – the carbs do have a history on BMWs, just only on Munich’s famed 2002 four-wheeler – replacing the traditional Bings, there are numerous reminisces from BMW bikes gone by. The giant air- (and oil-)cooled 1,800-cc engine, with absolutely massive cooling fins, is an obvious blast from the past. Ditto the exposed, chromed driveshaft, which is pure 1950s Boxer. Likewise, we’ve seen spring-mounted leather saddles on plenty of BMWs of yore. But the overall lines, save for the gas tank with its hand-painted pinstripes that reminds me of the “pregnant guppy” R75/5 I rode through college, is pure R32, the BMW’s first opposed twin. From the sweep of its faux hardtail frame to the curve of the rear fender, this is one way-retro – as in all the way back to 1923 – concept. Oh, to be sure, the new 1,800-cc R18 engine dwarves the R32’s 494-cc unit, but the sweep of the of the twin inlet tracts from that gargantuan Solex is almost a carbon copy of the R32’s inlet pipes. Indeed, while the previous two concepts were individual customizers’ take on the Boxer twin, this version is pure BMW Motorrad. And while we can’t be sure this third iteration is anywhere near the final production version, it’s likely at least a few of these historic touches – I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts the twin inlet tracts, with fuel injection replacing the archaic carburetor, will make it to production – will be found on BMW showroom floors soon. Stay tuned for even more teasing until then, however, the good folks in Munich seem to be having some fun with this one. The 2019 recreation of the long-lost 1970 BMW Garmisch Concept by Bertone BMW BMW also released something it’s calling the Homage Concept, which is supposed to be a recreation of the famed BMW Garmisch, the concept car designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone that supposedly vanished after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1970. “Marcello Gandini to me is one of the grandmasters of car design and his cars always have been an important source of inspiration for my work,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice-president of BMW design, who claims to have been intrigued by the Garmisch since he first discovered a faded period picture of the car some years ago. “Building the BMW Garmisch for a second time gave us the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Gandini, recall one of his lesser-known cars and highlight Bertone’s stylistic influence on the evolution of BMW design.” The 2019 recreation of the long-lost 1970 BMW Garmisch Concept by Bertone BMW The signature garnish of the Garmisch was its bold, vertical and almost angular variation of BMW’s kidney-shaped grill, which is faithfully interpreted on the Homage Concept. Ditto for the interior which, according to van Hooydonk, has a distinctly “Piemontese twist” to the rather functional interior design habits typical of BMWs at the time. Gandini was, of course, more famous for his work on the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, not to mention the Alfa Romeo Montreal, but he did numerous works for BMW, including the Spicup show car, as well as the first iterations of the 5
Origin: BMW keeps teasing its R18 concept, with retro bike bowing in Italy
Autocar confidential: Skoda takes the high road, Ferrari keeps it traditional and more
Ferrari, Skoda and Toyota lead the snippets from our automotive newsgatherers this week, with electrification being high on the agenda for all involved. Maranel-ectrification is a stretch Don’t count on seeing an all-electric Ferrari for a long time yet. Michael Leiters, Ferrari technical chief, said there are two big issues with the tech: sound and weight. “It’s not fitting right now for a Ferrari,” he said. “We’re studying, yes, to learn better but there is no decision yet.” The first Ferrari hybrids will arrive later this year. Three’s the magic number Skoda is content to keep its UK line-up of SUVs to three over the coming years, according to boss Bernhard Maier. Despite some rivals expanding their range further, Maier said: “I think we have everything our competitors do. What are we missing? We don’t always have to bring the same kind of cars. Our line-up is profitable and successful, and customer feedback is that our vehicles are spot on.” Toyota and Lexus make a power play Toyota and its luxury marque, Lexus, will outline their electrification plans at this year’s Tokyo motor show in October. Until now, the brands’ focus has been on hybrids but announcements are expected at the show about electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The brands’ models, which are built on a new global architecture, can be adapted to different powertrains with relative ease. Courting controversy The judge responsible for many of the Dieselgate lawsuits at a regional court in Stuttgart, Germany, has been replaced due to suspected bias at the request of Volkswagen. The judge’s wife is the owner of a VW diesel car affected by the emissions scandal and has sued the German car maker in a district
Origin: Autocar confidential: Skoda takes the high road, Ferrari keeps it traditional and more
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