Mitsubishi will reveal a new compact SUV concept with a range-extending EV tech at next month’s Tokyo motor show. The MI-Tech Concept, first confirmed last month, is previewed again in another image released by the firm. It shows the model is a two-seater, lacking doors and a roof, so it’s unlikely to preview a close-to-production model. However, its intent is to preview a new generation of plug-in hybrid powertrains to be used on SUV models smaller than the Outlander. Instead of the traditional combustion engine, Mitsubishi has deployed a gas turbine engine-generator, allowing use of pure EV and series hybrid drive modes. The hybrid technology will be smaller and lighter than Mitsubishi’s current plug-in hybrid system, which it pioneered first on the Outlander PHEV. It will be four-wheel drive, with two electric motors on each axle for for greater off-road control and precise handling, the brand claims. It’s also claimed to offer both improved efficiency in urban environments. Mitsubishi has not released any further technical details of the new hybrid system, which will join the larger one it already has in its range on the Outlander. That current plug-in hybrid tech mixes a 2.4-litre petrol engine with a 13.8kWh battery and twin electric motors. A replacement for the Outlander was previewed at the Geneva motor show in March with a concept called Engelberg Tourer that continued with a 2.4-litre petrol engine but now mated to a larger 20kWh battery. The concept car’s downsized plug-in hybrid technology could therefore be intended for the Eclipse Cross, either in this generation or the next. Mitsubishi sources confirmed to Autocar earlier this year that the Eclipse Cross would be offered with plug-in hybrid technology in the future. Mitsubishi sources also confirmed to Autocar that it would look to move its three SUV models – ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander – further apart in size. The ASX is set to be offered with an all-electric drivetrain in its next generation, rather than hybrid technology. The 2019 Tokyo concept will follow a 2017 concept at the same show, called e-Evolution. The model offered visual clues to the next ASX, but more pertinently was an early indication of what the famous Evo could turn into – a high-performance electric compact SUV – should Mitsubishi decide to revive it early in the next decade as has long been
Origin: Mitsubishi’s Tokyo show star is roofless SUV with four electric motors
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Suzuki Waku: retro-styled PHEV concept set for Tokyo show
Suzuki will unveil the Waku SPO – a retro-styled plug-in hybrid concept featuring design elements that can be switched according to personal preference – at this year’s Tokyo motor show. The ultra-compact Waku SPO will be joined on the Japanese firm’s stand by an autonomous ‘mobile room’ concept called the Hanare. The two machines are designed to showcase Suzuki’s efforts in developing future technologies. Suzuki’s stand is themed around the concept of ‘Waku Waku’, a Japanese term that means excitement in English. The Waku SPO is described by Suzuki as an A-segment personal compact PHEV, intended for use by a family to “share fun and excitement”. Suzuki has not yet disclosed any technical details of the plug-in hybrid powertrain. The firm says the model features a ‘Waku Waku’ switch that can customise the car by allowing users to “switch its body shape, front mask and content shown on the dashboard”, so the car “can transform to meet each and everyone’s fun and excitement”. It is not clear how extensive the exterior changes to the car would be. A rendering released by Suzuki shows a small hatch with a long front bonnet and retro-styling somewhat similar to the Honda e. The Hanare – a Japanese term for a small dwelling built to the side of a home – is an autonomous pod-style vehicle designed for an “efficiency-centric future”. Suzuki says the machine would allow users to work or rest during long journeys, with the Hanare capable of being customised for different uses and to the requirements of different users. Suzuki has not yet revealed any powertrain details for the Hanare, but with heavy autonomous technology and the pod-like design, it is likely to be based around a full-electric
Origin: Suzuki Waku: retro-styled PHEV concept set for Tokyo show
Mazda confirms Tokyo show debut for first electric car
Mazda has confirmed that its first electric car will be revealed at Tokyo motor show on 23 October. The model, previewed by the e-TPV prototype, is expected to adopt an SUV bodystyle, which can more easily accommodate an underfloor battery pack. It will use a similar set-up to the prototype, which has a 35.5kWh battery and a single electric motor delivering 138bhp and 195lb ft of torque to the the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. The EV is likely to have a range between 120 and 150 miles, similar to the new Mini Electric but significantly less than more obvious rivals, such as the 279-mile Hyundai Kona Electric. It will be able to accept 6.6kW domestic charging and 50kW public rapid charging. Mazda will also introduce a modern version of its famed rotary engine in a range-extender variant of the EV. Two years ago, Mazda boss Mitsuo Hitomi confirmed that, rather than being used in its purest form, a rotary engine will be used as an EV range-extender. He said: “The rotary engine isn’t particularly efficient to use as a range-extender, but when we turn on a rotary, it’s much, much quieter compared to other manufacturers’ range-extenders”. The Japanese firm’s range hasn’t featured a rotary-engined road car since the RX-8 went out of production in 2012, but it did produce a rotary range-extender Mazda 2 prototype – which Autocar drove – back in 2013. It has remained interested in reintroducing the technology to production since. The Mazda RX-Vision Concept, which was shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2015, used such a powertrain. Mazda has eschewed hybrid and electric models in recent years, instead choosing to focus on improving the efficiency of its petrol engines. This year, it introduced spark plug-controlled compression ignition to the latest Mazda 3, with the promise that it will “combine the economy and torque of a diesel engine with the performance and lower emissions of a petrol
Origin: Mazda confirms Tokyo show debut for first electric car
Mustang from ‘Tokyo Drift’ for sale, but without Nissan RB26 engine
One of the 1967 Ford Mustangs used in the third instalment of the will-it-ever-end Fast Furious movie franchise is being offered for sale by RK Motors in Charlotte, complete with a thumping American V-8 underhood. Wait, wasn’t the Stang in Fast Furious: Tokyo Drift driven by a Nissan GT-R RB26? You’re right, it was—at least one of them, anyway. Apparently, three of the muscle cars were built for the film, two of which had V-8s displacing 430 cubes. Details are fuzzy, as they often are with Hollywood movies, but there may have been as many as six Mustangs on set at one point or another. This unit at RK is listed as having a 347-cubic-inch mill under its king-sized hood and being a gen-u-wine member of the cast. Billed as a restomod, the Mustang also has a Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual backing up the Roush crate engine. Original(-to-the-movie) 19-inch Volk Racing wheels bring a dose of screen-correct accuracy, and the rear end is a Moser 8.8 with a limited-slip diff and 3.73 gears. According to the seller, that Nissan-powered Mustang we all saw in the film was only used for stills and close-up shots, with the drifting duties left to the other V-8 Mustangs on set—of which this car is one. While it may not have the same engine used during its filming sequences, the car does have a heckuva story, one for which certain collectors will happily
Origin: Mustang from ‘Tokyo Drift’ for sale, but without Nissan RB26 engine
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