Mitsubishi’s brave new direction

MMC PRESIDENT and COO Tetsuro Aikawa presents the eX Concept electric crossover.

AT THE recently held 44th Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi Motors’ new president and COO, Tetsuro Aikawa, shared his time with members of the Philippine media contingent and candidly spoke about Mitsubishi Motors’ brave new direction for the future.

PHEVs and EVs

He sees demand for electric vehicles to grow to five million units annually past 2020. This will be due to tightening emissions regulations and lower corporate fleet fuel-consumption averages.

With volatile crude oil prices, Mitsubishi believes that plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and pure electric vehicles (EV) are the easiest, most cost-effective and the best environmentally-friendly means to achieve practically zero emissions, reduce carbon footprint, and improve Mitsubishi’s overall fleet fuel-consumption average.

The challenge, according to Aikawa, is getting the technology and supporting infrastructure to become cheaper and more affordable. Government also needs to support this push by way of providing tax incentives and credits, and by investing on infrastructure to support the development of PHEVs and EVs. Car manufacturers can only do so much, he emphasizes.

On cost-competitive markets

With Mitsubishi closing its US-based production facilities, many feared that Mitsubishi would be abandoning the US market altogether. Aikawa assured the media that this is not so, and that it will continue to keep its presence in the biggest car market in the world. Mitsubishi, however, will focus on production facilities in cost-competitive markets in the Asean, Central and Eastern Europe, and Japan.

Interestingly, the Philippines is Mitsubishi’s eighth-largest market in the world, with the Strada, Montero Sport, Mirage/G4 and other Mitsubishi global products being well-loved. Mitsubishi’s R&D now listens intently to our market needs and demands in shaping the future of Mitsubishi vehicles worldwide.

On SUVs, pickups and crossovers

Mitsubishi foresees demand for SUVs, pickups, crossovers and other all-terrain utility vehicles to grow steadily over the next five years. This can be attributed to markets like China and Russia, which are experiencing rapid economic progress.

With public infrastructure still needing to catch up, there continues to be a demand for tall-riding vehicles with improved ground clearance. Hence, Mitsubishi will be focusing more on these types of vehicles as global products and less on the traditional three-box sedans and two-box hatchbacks.

MITSUBISHI’S new president and COO, Tetsuro Aikawa

Tall-riding vehicles offer better versatility, go-anywhere ability, and extended mobility in bad road and weather conditions. The eX concept crossover, unveiled at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, the upcoming all-new Montero Sport SUV and the Outlander crossover series are three of Mitsubishi’s vehicles at the center of attention and will be expected to lead Mitsubishi’s assault on the global market.

For developing nations, Mitsubishi understands that small, affordable fuel-efficient cars are still a necessity. Hence, aside from SUVs, pickups and crossovers, the Japanese manufacturer will continue to provide small, affordable yet technically innovative vehicles such as the Mirage and Mirage G4, therefore further expanding market penetration and acceptance.

On Dynamic Shield

Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield front-end design concept will be a staple in all future Mitsubishi vehicles, and particularly on its SUVs, pickups and crossovers. Dynamic Shield is meant to emphasize the safety, security and protection of a Mitsubishi vehicle’s occupants, not just in terms of image perception but also in terms of design, engineering, safety features and build quality.

A Mitsubishi vehicle, according toAikawa, is meant to deliver exciting performance without sacrificing safety for its occupants.

On high-performance Mitsubishis

Aikawa mentioned that while the Lancer Evolution X is perhaps the final high-performance vehicle of its kind, this does not mean that Mitsubishi is abandoning high-performance motoring variants targeted at enthusiasts.

While nothing is final yet, Aikawa sees the Lancer Evo line as truly evolving: from a three-box, all-wheel-drive sedan with a gasoline-powered turbocharged engine, to an electric or hybrid electric-powered crossover AWD vehicle that offers even greater mobility off the beaten path.

The Outlander PHEV, currently being campaigned by Hiroshi Masuoka on long-distance point-to-point rallies around the world, points to the possibilities of a future high-performance PHEV or EV by Mitsubishi. It might not be a direct replacement of the Lancer Evo line, but it could be the spiritual successor to its high-performance flagship model.

On motorsports

While having withdrawn from most top-level world rally championships, Mitsubishi keeps its involvement in Group N rally championships. It has also slowly begun to pour more resources into the Outlander PHEV rally car. For the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Mitsubishi is fielding an electric purpose-built hill-climb racer which looks like a three-fourth scale model of the Le Mans prototype racer.

The Outlander rally car and the Pikes Peak hill climb racer are meant more for endurance/

durability testing and R&D, as Mitsubishi sees motorsports as the most gruelling test bed for new technologies.

In the future, Aikawa would like Mitsubishi Motors to return to top-level motorsports with its PHEVs and EVs. “Mitsubishi has a long history in WRC and Paris-Dakar. We cannot forget this, and would like to return to top-level motorsports,” he said.