Mitsubishi has released three new hybrid
concept vehicles as it continues its e orts to electrify 20% of its vehicle
range by 2020.
The
AR, GC-PHEV and XR-PHEV SUV concepts are Mitsubishi’s latest steps toward featuring
powertrain electrification on 20% of its vehicle range by 2020
Following a world debut at the Tokyo Motor
Show, Mitsubishi’s trio of hybrid SUV concepts were formally unveiled to a
European audience earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show. The XR-PHEV,
GC-PHEV and AR represent the latest step in the Japanese car maker’s
forward-looking business strategy to provide electrification (full or PHEV) to
20% of its vehicle range by 2020.
With only 5% currently meeting this
criterion, according to Mitsubishi’s head of product strategy, Ryugo Nako, the
company is looking to quickly improve on its performance. “Unfortunately,
production value is less than our expectation. This is because of three
problems: price, infrastructure and range. In 2013, we produced 30,000 units;
however by the end of the fiscal year in 2014, our plan is to have produced
50,000 units.”
Europe represents a prime opportunity for
Mitsubishi as it looks to boost its EV quota, especially in countries such as
the Netherlands, which Nako says is the OEM’s biggest European territory
because of government subsidies, as well as Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and the
UK. Nako also reveals the company is planning on launching its hybrid vehicles
in Russia.
Hybrid Theory
The next-generation C-segment concept
XRPHEV – the XR stands for Cross Runner – is intended to be the successor to
the ASX urban crossover, and features a sport coupe design. It uses a
lightweight and high-efficiency front wheel-drive PHEV system derived from the
same architecture used to power the Outlander PHEV.
In this configuration, Mitsubishi’s PHEV
powertrain comprises a 136ps 1.1-liter in-line three-cylinder MIVEC
turbocharged petrol engine; a single lightweight, compact and high-efficiency
120kW (163ps) motor with a high-boost converter at the front to increase both
motor and generator output and efficiency; and a high-capacity 14kWh battery
under the floor.
Mitsubishi says the XR boasts a plug-in
cruising range of 85km (53 miles) and a hybrid fuel efficiency return of 4.28 l/100km
(66mpg). And like with the Outlander PHEV, two additional drive modes are
available – series hybrid and parallel hybrid, while 100% EV driving is
possible through use of its battery-charge mode or battery-save mode.
Mitsubishi
calls the GC-PHEV a “connected car,” claiming it will offer “next-generation
preventive safety technology and driver support technology through wireless
connectivity.
Based on the Pajero/Shogun sport utility
vehicle, the concept GC-PHEV (Grand Cruiser) is a full-size four-wheel drive
SUV that features a 3-liter V6 supercharged MIVEC petrol engine with a total
power output of 340ps, an 8-speed automatic transmission, a high-output
electric motor that develops an additional 70kW (95ps), and a 12kWh battery
installed under the rear cargo floor for improved front/rear weight
distribution. The installed PHEV system automatically switches between full
electric and hybrid modes, and offers a targeted fuel consumption figure of
about 8 l/100km (35mpg) and an all-electric driving range of 40km (25 miles).
Meanwhile, the front-wheel-drive concept
AR, which stands for Active Runabout, blends SUV and MPV architectures and,
unlike its PHEV conceptual counterparts, features a mild hybrid drivetrain
consisting of a belt-driven start and generator (BSG) system with a 13.5kW BSG
torque circuit and a 48V lithium-ion battery. This is linked to the same 136ps
1.1-liter in-line three-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged MIVEC petrol
engine as in the concept XR-PHEV, although the unit is mated with a
continuously variable transmission.
The rear-mounted battery and converter work
in cooperation to provide instant engine restarting after an idle-stop and to
deliver torque assist under acceleration, while the BSG is utilized to recover
kinetic energy during regenerative braking.
Consider
the floodgates open on the Vision Gran Turismo movement. Following up on the
BMW Vision Gran Turismo and Volkswagen GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo from
earlier this month, Mitsubishi's contribution to the range of concept cars has
made its debut.
According to Mitsubishi, the concept AR has
been subject to an exhaustive weight reduction program targeting the engine and
the hybrid system together with the more extensive use of high-tensile strength
steel panels as already implemented in the Outlander and Mirage, and also
lightweight structural materials.
