MITSUBISHI’S EX concept has a planned range far greater than any other mass-market electric vehicle. photos by ardie lopez
A FEW hours prior to the formal opening of the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, the Philippine media contingent of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. had a chance to sit down for a short interview with MMC’s new president and COO, Tetsuro Aikawa, who was surprisingly very candid and open about Mitsubishi’s future plans. Here are the excerpts of the interview:
1. Since Mitsubishi has announced closing down its production facilities in the United States, the world’s largest car market, where will Mitsubishi be focusing on in terms of production?
Mitsubishi might have closed down its production facilities in America, but of course that doesn’t mean we are abandoning the US market altogether.
We will still be selling vehicles in the US market, but production will be focused in areas where there is better competitiveness in terms of cost.
Japan will be in focus, as well as the Asean region (Thailand), South America and Eastern/
Central Europe (Russia), where Mitsubishi vehicles, particularly pickups and SUVs are in strong demand.
Countries like the Philippines, Mitsubishi’s eighth-largest market globally, are strong drivers for the company’s continued growth in the future.
2. In terms of products, where will Mitsubishi be focusing on in the near future?
Mitsubishi believes that the future will need better SUVs and pickups, and better, more affordable electric vehicles.
Our EX concept paves the way for this. It’s a crossover/sport utility concept vehicle which features our new Dynamic Shield front-end fascia design, and it is an electric vehicle with a planned range far greater than any other mass-market electric vehicle.
There are design elements, powertrain elements, and other technologies found in the EX concept that will filter down to other Mitsubishi vehicles in the near future.
In 2020, we see the demand for electric vehicles to increase to over five million units globally. This is because of government regulations requiring stricter emissions and corporate fuel consumption averages from all major car manufacturers particularly in Europe, the United States and Japan.
Mitsubishi wants to be ready for this by having technology that is affordable through continuous R&D, and is reliable enough in the harshest of environments, where we see our SUVs, pickups and crossovers being used.
As for SUVs and the like, this segment is booming. We are moving focus away from traditional vehicle platforms like sedans because the SUV market is booming worldwide, not just in Asia.
Hence we see a perfect fit for our electric/hybrid powertrains and SUVs delivering efficient motoring alongside vehicles with the ability to tackle difficult terrain and harsh environments.
3. Mitsubishi has announced production for the Final Edition Lancer Evolution X, which will be sold only to the Japanese market. Will there be any replacement for it?
Mitsubishi will probably not have any direct replacement for the Evolution line. We will be focusing on SUVs and electric powertrains in the future. But that does not mean Mitsubishi will abandon high-performance motoring and motorsport.
Our Outlander PHEV rally car, driven by Hiroshi Masuoka, continues to compete in the global rally stages.
In the near future, we see Mitsubishi creating a high-performance vehicle similar to the Outlander PHEV for mass production, and for the enthusiast, an all-wheel-drive crossover with direct links to motorsport.
This will be a “true” evolution for the Evolution series of vehicles as it has evolved from a gasoline-powered sedan-based platform to a crossover-electric or hybrid-electric vehicle, which has better range and mobility as well as practicality and versatility than its predecessors.
4. Aside from SUVs, pickups and crossovers, what other vehicles will Mitsubishi build and develop in the near future?
In Third World countries, small, affordable and fuel-efficient vehicles like the Mirage and Mirage Attrage/G4 are also growing in demand.
Mitsubishi understands that in certain markets, especially in developing economies, affordability is crucial for sales and market acceptance.
Hence, Mitsubishi will continue to improve on, develop and refine our Mirage and other small vehicles in the near future.
5. Can you shed some light on Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield front-end design? Why did the company choose this?
The Dynamic Shield front-end fascia is meant to project an image of strength and safety. Our Mitsubishi vehicles, particularly SUVs, pickups and crossovers, will protect you and your fellow occupants, regardless of road, weather and driving conditions.
It’s meant to give assurance, confidence and stability—characteristics we want to imbibe in all our products, not just in terms of design and image, but in terms of engineering, performance and safety.
6. Will Mitsubishi still compete in motorsports?
MMC’S NEW president and COO Tetsuro Aikawa was very candid about Mitsubishi’s future plans.
The Outlander PHEV rally car and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb are rolling test beds for our electric and hybrid-electric powertrains.
Motorsports is the toughest environment to test your products and technology.
Currently, we are using these two arenas primarily for testing, but we would like to return to top-level motorsports as a series competitor in a few years, with our hybrid-electric or pure electric powertrains fully-utilized.
We have a long history in motorsports, from WRC to Paris-Dakar. We cannot forget that, and will continue to take up the challenge in the near future.
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