Dune buggy-like concept SUV intrigues at Mitsubishi booth

Whenever there’s an auto show where Mitsubishi Motors is a participant, you can be sure that the Japanese automaker will bring in a new concept for an SUV. Case in point was the Engelberg Tourer SUV concept that was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland last March.

Apart from giving us hints of the company’s next iteration of its “Dynamic Shield” front fascia design, the unveiling also gave us a glimpse of Mitsubishi Motor’s near-term SUV future, one that will be based on a four-wheel drive plug-in hybrid similar to the system in the currently sold Outlander PHEV model.

During last week’s opening of the 46th Tokyo Motor Show in Japan, Mitsubishi Motors brought SUV concept to the next level by unveiling the Mi-Tech Concept, a small SUV that has no doors, no roof, equipped with only two seats and built to go off-road just like a dune buggy.

Hiroshi Nagaoka, Mitsubishi Motors SVP for Engineering, explained that the idea behind the Mi-Tech Concept is to imagine the Mitsubishi SUV of the future, one that embodies the company’s brand statement “Drive Your Ambition” by employing a lightweight, compact, new PHEV drivetrain, a four-motor electric four-wheel drive system, and advanced driver assist and preventive safety technologies.

Gas turbine

What is more interesting—and perhaps the most intriguing—is that instead of conventional gasoline engine, this particular concept employs a lightweight, compact gas turbine engine-generator to power the electric motors.

“As environmental awareness grows and downsizing progresses, the Mi-Tech Concept explores the technological proposition to combine a compact gas turbine engine-generator that offers powerful output for its size and weight with the gas turbine’s flexibility to run on a variety of fuels such as diesel, kerosene and alcohol, which can be selected depending on the requirement of the market where it may be sold. The result is a powertrain that produces a cleaner exhaust emissions,” explained Nagaoka.

And the four exhaust-like structures at back of the Mi-Tech concept? “They’re actually cooling fans that not only lends the concept a powerful, striking appearance but also keeps the gas turbine at optimal temperatures (this is because the exhaust produced by a gas turbine can get extremely hot),” explained Nagaoka.

Buggy of the future

With such an intriguing powertrain, the Mi-Tech concept demands an equally intriguing design: its light blue body paint and a secondary copper hue in a motor coil motif on the grille, inner wheels, and interior further highlight the concept’s massive square wheel arches. The absence of doors and roof as well as large diameter tires project is go-anywhere, extremely adventurous character.

“When looking from the front, one would readily notice Mitsubishi Motor’s signature Dynamic Shield new front design concept. We opted for a satin plated color in the center of the grille, and copper as a secondary color to accentuate its expressiveness as an electrified vehicle. T-shaped headlights are embedded in the front end to emphasize a distinguishing outward appearance,” explained Tsunehiro Kunimoto, the brand’s Global Chief Designer.

Kunimoto further explained that the T-shaped headlights are actually hexagons that send out a high-tech vibe. This “T” design theme is also carried at the taillights contributing to the Mi-Tech’s striking appearance.

“As opposed to the exterior design, the interior layout takes a minimalist approach by getting rid of most buttons and switches. While it doesn’t even have a traditional infotainment system, it will however, feature a massive head-up display flashing on the windshield using an augmented reality technology. There’s also a handgrip doubling as a handpad whenever the driver wants to use the dashboard controls,” described Kunimoto.

However, there are no plans yet to put the Mi-Tech Concept into production although Mitsubishi Motors does confirm that electrification technologies will be applied to future compact and midsize SUVs by 2022.

Says Mitsubishi Motors CEO Takao Kato, “We are dedicated to electrification technology, particularly plug-in hybrids. We will be expanding our lineup of electrified vehicles by delivering more variations and leveraging the diverse electrification technology in the alliance to make this company the leader in the PHEV category going forward.”