Mitsubishi is reportedly introducing a sporty electric crossover this year based on the e-Evolution concept car.
Japanese media outlet Response reports the brand’s first all-electric SUV could debut as early as this autumn (our spring).
The e-Evolution concept car, revealed at the 2017 Tokyo motor show, featured three electric motors – one at the front, two at the rear.
The production model will instead feature a dual-motor electric powertrain – one on each axle, according to the report – and the latest version of Mitsubishi’s S-AWC all-wheel drive system, as well as a claimed electric range of 500km.
The suicide doors of the concept car will also be nixed for conventional doors. Likewise, that other concept car affectation – the unusual steering wheel – will be swapped for a normal one.
The production interior will still be defined by a large touchscreen display, if perhaps not quite as large as that of the concept, as well as a simple dashboard with as few buttons as possible.
It hasn’t been confirmed what platform the production e-Evolution will use, though it’s plausible it could use the same all-new electric vehicle platform as the Ariya from Alliance partner Nissan.
The Ariya will be available with both single-motor, front-wheel drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive set-ups, both of which will offer the choice of either 65kWh or 90kWh lithium-ion batteries.
The all-wheel drive models will produce 250kW of power and 560Nm of torque when equipped with the smaller battery, with a claimed total range of 430km. That rises to 290kW and 580km of range with the larger battery.
The production Ariya’s interior could also give us an idea of what to expect for the e-Evolution interior, with its lack of buttons and dual 12.3-inch displays.
As with many Mitsubishi concepts, design elements of the e-Evolution have already made their way onto production vehicles.
The updated 2021 Eclipse Cross, for example, wears new tail lights inspired by those of the e-Evolution.
Mitsubishi introduced its first electric car, the i-MiEV, back in 2009 but has yet to follow it up with another all-electric vehicle.
It’s a similar story with Nissan, which debuted the Leaf around the same time but is only now introducing its second electric vehicle. The Ariya could arrive in Australia next year, though it’ll launch in other markets before then.
Mitsubishi has been offering something Nissan hasn’t, though: a plug-in hybrid. The Outlander PHEV was first introduced in 2014 and will be joined this year by a plug-in version of the Eclipse Cross.
