Mitsubishi said it would be in a position to launch an all-electric mini SUV towards 2020. The revelation comes from one other than the chief executive and president of Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko during a visit to the Kangaroo Island in Australia.
Masuko further stated the said SUV will have a range of 250 miles or 400 kms, Motoring reported. Not much else is known of the project right now though many are sceptical if the projected range would be a big draw four years from now.
The Tesla Model X which seats seven already offers a range of 250 miles in its current configuration sporting a 90kWh battery. The company has also introduced a bigger 100kWh power-pack that boosts the range of the SUV to an even more impressive 289 miles.
In light of the above, it remains to be seen if the proposed 250 miles range and that too for a mini-SUV will have enough backers.
The Japanese automaker so far has been offering a mix of hybrid and pure electric vehicles as part of its push towards alternate energy powered vehicles. The company offers the MeEV small car for city driving that offers a range of 160km on a single charge.
Thereafter, there is also the MiniCab MiEV that can be used both as a people mover or lug around light load around city.
Then there is the Outlander plug-in hybrid which had turned out to be a surprise hit in Europe. It has been the bestselling SUV in the continent during 2014 and 2015. It comes powered by a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine that is mated to two electric motors. Further, one of the motors works independently on the rear wheel.
According to CarandDriver, the Outlander PHEV also comes with a 12kWh battery that is good to sustain an all-electric drive of up to 20 miles. Unfortunately the Outlander never got to see the light of day on American soil which is partly due to its success in Europe that kept the company tied to that continent.
The carmaker is also reported to be working on a more refined version perhaps with a higher capacity battery that could have delayed its American plans.
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