FOR Mitsubishi Motors, the future rests on electric mobility, artificial intelligence and the development of SUVs. And capturing these areas in one halo model is the car maker鈥檚 e-Evolution Concept, which it unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2017. At PIMS, this concept model continues to highlight what Mitsubishi calls its 鈥渘ew brand strategy鈥 in which the strengths of an electric-powered SUV is fused with new connected mobility systems.
Two of these areas are actually nothing new for Mitsubishi — it was among the first to build a modern, more family car-like SUV (its Pajero of 1982) and also a mass-produced full-electric car (its i-MiEV of 2009). In 2013 the company combined the two systems in the Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid crossover.
Locally, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation has been actively pursuing through partnerships with government and other organizations for the eventual mainstream use of EVs.
The e-Evolution is laying the groundwork for this (not only in the Philippines but globally as well). Billed as an 鈥渁ll-electric, high-performance SUV,鈥 the e-Evolution is intended to integrate new connected mobility systems, including on-board and cloud computing capabilities.
It is propelled by electric motors juiced by high-capacity batteries, whose placement — in the middle, under the floor — lowers the vehicle鈥檚 center of gravity, helping in making the e-Evolution more stable. Because it鈥檚 an SUV, it gets a four-wheel drive system consisting of an electric motor that drives the front wheels, and two others for each of the rear wheels. The rear motors are paired to an active yaw control that electronically allocates the torque to the wheel that has more traction underneath. Mitsubishi鈥檚 Super All-Wheel Control vehicle dynamic control system, used on some of the brand鈥檚 existing four-wheel drive models, also finds its way to the concept vehicle.
An AI system augments the e-Evolution鈥檚 driver鈥檚 skills via an array of sensors that instantly read changes in road and traffic conditions, as well as the driver鈥檚 intent, to maximize vehicle performance. The car鈥檚 AI can also 鈥渃oach鈥 the driver to improve his or her skills, or even form a training program that communicates through voice dialogue and a large dashboard display.
Significantly, the e-Evolution Concept has already served, to varying degrees, its role as a bank of inspiration for three current Mitsubishi models — the latest Outlander PHEV, Eclipse Cross crossover and Xpander.
Along with the concept car, Mitsubshi at PIMS displayed (and offered up for test-drives) the Xpander, Montero Sport, Strada and the Mirage G4. — BMA
