Mitsubishi has released the first image of its latest plug-in hybrid crossover concept, set to be revealed in October at the Paris motor show.
Dubbed the Grand Tourer Concept, Mitsubishi says the new vehicle envisions a crossover coupe, and judging from the image, Mitsu's designers had both the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Lexus RX in mind when they sketched it. We see Rover in the short greenhouse, and Lexus in the C-pillar and the angle of the rear window. It bears mentioning that while Mitsu is throwing around the word "coupe," even this shadowy sketch clearly shows four doors.
According to Mitsubishi, the Grand Tourer Concept, positioned as a high-end model with a "finely-crafted" and "hushed" interior, is an expression of the four elements of the brand's design ambition: augmented possibilities, functional beauty, solid thrust and Japanese craftsmanship. We're especially pleased that all four tenets of that ambition are actually English, and not made-up marketing-speak.
Mitsubishi's possibilities could only be augmented from where the company stands now, in the wake of revelations the company falsified fuel economy ratings for cars it sold in Japan. While that scandal didn't affect its North American model range, the company needs a production version of something like this PHEV concept to generate some interest among consumers here, who don't have much love for Mitsubishi.
The Grand Tourer Concept is the third Mitsubishi crossover concept based around plug-in hybrid hardware, following in the footsteps of the Concept XR PHEV II shown last year in Geneva, and the eX Concept also revealed in 2015, at the Tokyo motor show.
