Mitsubishi has released a preview image of its new SUV ahead of its official reveal at the Geneva motor show in March.
The image shows that the new model’s nose will have some resemblance to the Outlander, but its more angular rear with a coupé-like roofline and slimming glassline are less conventional for a Mitsubishi SUV.
In the past, the firm has erred towards traditional boxy designs, but in 2014, it hired Tsunehiro Kunimoto, who spent 40 years at Nissan, where he worked on, among others, the Juke.
Our sister publication Autocar UK’s source said: “Design is increasingly at the forefront of Mitsubishi’s planning. It will take time for the changes to come through, and we will always have a certain utilitarian quality, but Land Rover has proved you can be both rugged and stylish, and we intend to follow that path.”
The as-yet-unnamed SUV will be larger than the ASX and sit below the Outlander in Mitsubishi’s international range. It will come as part of the brand's push to capitalise on its sales growth by offering a full range of SUVs.
The best clues to the car’s styling are said to come from the XR-PHEV concept car, first seen in 2013 but subsequently evolved and displayed at the 2015 Geneva show. The concept incorporated a large central grille that is expected to become the face of all the Mitsubishi’s SUVs.
The concept was a two-wheel drive and was powered by an unspecified plug-in hybrid powertrain that produced 162hp. However, it is unlikely that the new SUV will be sold with a hybrid powertrain for cost reasons. Instead, the line-up is likely to feature a new turbocharged petrol engine alongside the diesel engines currently found in the ASX range, with manual, CVT and eight-speed automatic transmissions and all-wheel-drive variants available.
A replacement for the Outlander, including the plug-in model, is expected in international markets in 2020, while a more direct Juke rival is tipped for an international launch in 2019.
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