Tag Archives: Mitsubishi

CONCEPT CARS

Mitsubishi Elevance Concept: The Luxe Adventurer Has Entered the Chat

At this year’s Japan Mobility Show, Mitsubishi Motors didn’t just unveil another crossover concept — it planted a flag in the electrified wilderness with the Elevance Concept, a plug-in hybrid SUV that aims to blend rugged adventure cred with premium, almost lounge-like comfort. Think off-road explorer meets Scandinavian spa, and you’re starting to get the picture.

Forever Adventure, Electrified

Under the banner of Forever Adventure, Mitsubishi’s booth theme radiated nostalgia for the brand’s golden age of Pajeros and rally-bred Evos. But CEO Takao Kato insists the thrill of exploration doesn’t need to vanish in an era of quiet motors and carbon neutrality. The Elevance Concept, he says, is Mitsubishi’s way of fusing “the pure joy of driving” with the brand’s growing prowess in electrification and all-wheel control.

At first glance, the Elevance looks ready for both the Ginza district and the gravel roads of Hokkaido. Its styling is smooth yet muscular, a futuristic interpretation of Mitsubishi’s familiar Dynamic Shield design language. The front fascia trades aggression for sophistication — honeycomb grille, sculpted LED lighting, and sheetmetal that flows seamlessly from the headlights to the tail. The result is a vehicle that looks less like a concept car and more like a production model one executive misfiled into the “too stylish” bin.

Quad-Motor Grit Meets Glamping Grace

Underneath that sleek skin lies a quad-motor 4WD setup governed by Mitsubishi’s signature Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system — the same DNA that once made the Lancer Evolution a rally legend. Now, instead of chasing stage times, S-AWC keeps the Elevance composed on muddy trails or icy switchbacks, using Active Yaw Control at the rear and in-wheel motors up front for uncanny precision.

Powering it all is a plug-in hybrid system with a carbon-neutral-compatible engine and a large traction battery. For short commutes, it behaves like a quiet EV; stretch its legs on a road trip, and the hybrid system steps in to banish range anxiety. The setup also doubles as a mobile power station, capable of running campsite luxuries — kitchen, shower, or even a small trailer — for what Mitsubishi calls “glamping-grade adventure.”

If this is the future of roughing it, count us in.

The AI That Knows You Better Than Your GPS

Inside, the Elevance trades the typical SUV cockpit for something resembling a tech cocoon. A seamless, shell-like interior wraps passengers in soft leather and ambient light, while a panoramic display stretches from door to door. Even the steering wheel gets an embedded screen — home to the AI Co-Driver, a digital assistant that suggests destinations based on your habits and mood.

Heading into the mountains? It recommends the scenic route. Feeling low on battery (yours or the car’s)? It finds a café charging stop that matches your playlist’s energy.

And when the going gets rough, the AI adjusts drive modes in real time using road-condition sensors and vehicle data. It’s the sort of tech integration that might finally make “smart mobility” feel more intuitive than intrusive.

Design That Thinks Beyond the Pavement

Mitsubishi describes the Elevance’s structure as a “rib-bone frame”, designed for exceptional rigidity — the kind you’d want if your weekend plans involve washboard roads or steep climbs. Yet, from inside, it feels serene. The three-row, six-seat layout provides generous room for families or gear, while details like low side windows open the cabin to the surrounding landscape — a rare touch of theater in a crossover segment obsessed with slanted rooflines.

Even the most skeptical traditionalists might admit: if Mitsubishi brings this to production mostly intact, the Elevance could redefine what we expect from a plug-in SUV.

The Delica Legacy Marches On

Of course, Mitsubishi didn’t stop at the Elevance. The brand’s Delica series — part minivan, part SUV, all cult classic — also made a strong showing. The new Delica D:5 (prototype) borrows S-AWC tech and adds more refinement, while the pint-sized Delica Mini officially launched in Japan. Together, they represent Mitsubishi’s vision of adventure for all — whether your playground is a city street or a mountain trail.

The Elevance Concept might sound like an exercise in electrified optimism, but beneath the marketing gloss is a solid technical statement. Mitsubishi seems to understand that the future of adventure vehicles isn’t just about power or range — it’s about experience.

If this SUV ever reaches production, it could mark Mitsubishi’s boldest return to form since the days of the Montero and the Evo. A luxury crossover that can tow your glamping trailer and whisper to you about hidden mountain roads? That’s the kind of weirdly wonderful idea we can get behind.

Source: Mitsubishi

News

Mitsubishi Outlander and Outlander PHEV Take Home 2026 Family Green Car of the Year

Mitsubishi just pulled off something no automaker has managed in the 21-year history of Green Car Journal’s awards program: taking the top prize with not one, but two versions of the same nameplate. The 2026 Outlander and its electrified sibling, the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), have been co-named Family Green Car of the Year.

The win is particularly sweet for Mitsubishi Motors North America. The Outlander PHEV has now scored the honor four years running, but this marks the first time a conventional Outlander model has joined the winner’s circle.

A Dual Approach to Green Driving

Green Car Journal credits Mitsubishi’s two-pronged strategy—an upgraded plug-in hybrid alongside a new mild-hybrid variant—as the deciding factor. “Adding a mild-hybrid powertrain in the Outlander is viewed as an important evolutionary step toward improving efficiency and decreasing carbon emissions,” said Ron Cogan, the magazine’s editor and publisher.

The 2026 Outlander PHEV benefits from a larger battery with extended all-electric range, refreshed styling inside and out, improved suspension tuning, and a Yamaha-branded audio system. The standard Outlander, meanwhile, adopts a mild-hybrid setup, a first for the model in North America.

Current Benchmarks and What’s Coming

Today’s 2025 Outlander PHEV already offers 38 miles of EV range and a combined 420 miles when gas and electric power are working together. It also recently gained sharper dynamics and sleeker styling. Both the current and forthcoming models ride on Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC), the brand’s torque-vectoring AWD system designed to keep the family SUV sure-footed in all conditions.

The new mild-hybrid Outlander and updated PHEV will launch in the coming months, expanding Mitsubishi’s electrified lineup and giving families more options to dip into green driving without having to compromise on practicality.

A Step Toward Momentum 2030

Mark Chaffin, Mitsubishi Motors North America’s president and CEO, framed the award as validation of the brand’s long-term plan. “As part of our Momentum 2030 plan, where we promised a new or revised vehicle each year from now until 2030, we strive to develop environmentally friendly innovations that balance sustainability with the real-world needs of drivers and families,” Chaffin said.

That strategy is paying off. The Outlander twins’ recognition underscores how mainstream automakers are evolving their family haulers—SUVs that don’t just check boxes for space and safety but now also carry significant green cred.

Warranty Confidence

As with every Mitsubishi, both models will come with one of the longest warranties in the industry: a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, plus a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty, corrosion protection, roadside assistance, and two years of complimentary maintenance.

Why It Matters

In a crowded SUV market, Mitsubishi’s bet is that families want flexibility as much as efficiency. Offering both a mild-hybrid and a plug-in hybrid under the same nameplate could be the brand’s smartest play yet—one that not only sets a precedent in the green car awards world, but also in the driveways of buyers looking for sustainable choices that don’t force a compromise.

Source: Mitsubishi

News

Mitsubishi Hands the Keys to the Next Generation of Tennessee’s Drivers

In an age when most school budgets couldn’t stretch to a new set of pencils, Rutherford County Schools in Tennessee has managed something extraordinary: keeping driver’s education alive. And not just alive, but positively humming with a pair of brand-new Mitsubishis—because nothing says “welcome to the open road” like the smell of factory-fresh upholstery and a touchscreen you don’t understand.

Enter stage left: City Auto Mitsubishi of Murfreesboro, partnering with Mitsubishi Motors North America. Between them, they’ve just handed over two SUVs—a 2024 Outlander Sport and a 2024 Eclipse Cross—to the school district. Not demo cars, not dusty old fleet vehicles, but showroom-shiny, still-glittering-with-dealer-wax machines.

The purpose? To give tomorrow’s drivers the tools—and the safety tech—to start their motoring lives in something far more forgiving than Grandpa’s rusting pickup.

City Auto’s general manager Jordan Norton said it best: “This donation is a gift to the whole community.” Translation: if the kids are better behind the wheel, there’s less chance of them rear-ending you at the lights. Practical altruism at its finest.

What makes this story unusual is that most school districts across America have quietly euthanized driver training, slashed by the guillotine of budget cuts. Rutherford, though, has fought tooth and nail to keep the program. With over $60,000 raised for simulators and corporate donations flowing in, the district is essentially running a motoring academy on a shoestring. And now, with two fresh Mitsubishis in the car park, students will learn lane discipline in something that doesn’t rattle itself apart at 40 mph.

And it’s not just about the cars. Mitsubishi’s wider “Driving Confidence – Driving Community” program is part CSR initiative, part stealthy PR masterstroke. Over the past few years, they’ve been doling out Community Utility Vehicles (CUVs) like sweets at Halloween—from Nashville charities to Las Vegas non-profits. But this one feels especially apt. Because if you’re going to build lifelong customers, start when they’re 16, fumbling for the clutch, and praying the parallel park doesn’t take out a mailbox.

Dr. Jimmy Sullivan, Director of Schools, put it rather nobly: “This partnership is a shining example of how community partners support student learning with real-world application.” Which, in Top Gear translation, means: “Thank heavens somebody’s helping us keep this show on the road.”

So here’s the headline: while much of the country is letting kids loose onto highways armed with little more than YouTube tutorials and misplaced confidence, Tennessee teens are sliding behind the wheel of a brand-new Mitsubishi—complete with airbags, ABS, and possibly a fighting chance of survival.

And that, frankly, is a win for everyone.

Source: Mitsubishi