Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept at Tokyo

Mitsubishi is using the Tokyo Motor Show later this month to show off its next generation crossover – the PX-MiEV Hybrid Crossover.

It looks like the Tokyo Motor Show is going the a way of the Frankfurt Motor Show – and the car world in general – by focusing on Hybrid and Electric cars, not performance and fun. And Mitsubishi are going the same route, using Tokyo to reveal their next generation crossover – the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV – a hybrid with a 30 mile EV range.

The ‘PX’ bit of the name is Mitsubishi’s code for Plug-in Hybrid Crossover (saves a bit of room on the boot lid), so the PX-MiEV gets a 1.6 litre 4-pot to drive the front wheels together with an electric motor. An additional electric motor is used to power the rear wheels when circumstances dictate. The PX-MiEV can also run for up to 30 miles in EV mode, after which it turns in to a hybrid to drive and recharge the batteries. The combined output of both motors and the engine is approaching 200 bhp. Both motors and the engine are used under high-load and on rough/slippery surfaces.

The interior is supposedly Cocohi – which is Japanese for Cosy – and features a number of clever electronic gizmos for monitoring all sorts of stuff. A set of cameras around the PX-MiEV deliver a combined image to the driver; a system to monitor pedestrians and vehicles at the roadside; proximity warning and Electronic Toll Collection which determines if the vehicle is parked and its position. Many of these technologies are currently only viable in Japan.

Lots of toys and a sophisticated hybrid and 4WD system make the PX-MiEV Concept impressive. We’ll have to wait and see what the reality is.