Mitsubishi GT PHEV concept is (yet another) look at a future Outlander
Mitsubishi's sleek Ground Tourer hybrid concept is a view into the Japanese automaker's electrified, connected future.
This is the Mitsubishi GT-PHEV concept, a bluff-nosed yet decidedly sleek crossover SUV that's said to provide a glimpse of the company's next-generation Outlander. Having déjà vu yet? Mitsubishi has already shown us several visions of its softroader future, including the Concept XR PHEV II in Geneva and the EX Concept in Tokyo.
Underneath its Lexus-like grille, floating contrast-color roof and fast windshield rake, the Ground Tourer secretes an all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain that uses three electric motors and a conventional 2.5-liter gasoline engine. According to the automaker, a 25-kW hour battery is enough to provide the vehicle with 75 miles of pure-electric range. With the cells fully charged and the fuel tank topped off, total range is pegged at nearly 750 bladder-busting miles.
More interesting is the concept's powertrain, a 2.5-liter gas engine backed by a three-motor plug-in hybrid setup. Mitsubishi says the all-wheel-drive GT PHEV has an electric-only range of 75 miles and a total cruising range of nearly 750 miles.
The GT-PHEV features a narrow greenhouse and a floating, contrast-color roof.
In what is perhaps a preview of its future, Mitsubishi has fitted its Paris Motor Show centerpiece with connected-car tech that includes the ability to plan navigation routes taking into account factors such as weather, temperature and traction conditions. The same hardware also informs the vehicle's other systems, pregirding the all-wheel-drive system and suspension for optimum performance on the road ahead.
It's a pretty neat concept in person, but one the Roadshow crew will take with a whole shaker full of salt. After all, Mitsubishi has promised its North American dealers a production plug-in hybrid based on the current generation Outlander for years, and they're still waiting.