IS THE MITSUBISHI VISION RALLIART CONCEPT A SIGN OF AWESOME NEW PROJECTS?
Mitsubishi, the well-known Japanese automaker, looks to be receiving a much-needed injection of excitement with its possible release of a Ralliart version of its Outlander in 2024. Since the brand dropped the turbocharged 2.0-litre, all-wheel drive Lancer Evo, motorsport fans have been left feeling ignored. If fans of the brand wanted a new performance Mitsubishi they would have to go for a tarted-up Triton because the other offerings aren’t great. There’s the Mirage and the Mirage G4 (not in SA) but my big toe had more racing pedigree in it than they do. We thought the automaker wasn’t interested in speed and performance thanks to only really concentrating on the SUV and bakkie market. Just over a year back the company dropped the RalliArt bomb with a preview of the RalliArt-tuned Outlander in PHEV guise. The car was called the Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart Concept and it’s a great-looking thing, even if it does need to be charged, and it seems the tweaks aren’t limited to the looks. It not going to be Evo fast, but it will be better than the regular version found on showroom floors.
The regular Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV offers a combined power output of around 185 kW which isn’t bad, but this Vision Concept sees a small bump in power from slight changes and so in RalliArt-spec the car makes 213 kW. Torque is rated at a pretty decent 450 Nm. While this is good, we’re sure the techs at RalliArt can do more because the base power comes from a 2.4-litre 4-pot and that’s combined with a pair of electric motors rated at 85 kW up front with 100 kW at the rear and that means there’s ample opportunity to extract plenty more power. Baby steps I guess, at least we have a RalliArt car in the works again. On the looks front they scored full points because this Vision Concept is amazing to look at, and even based on looks alone it should have more power to match. The car features a completely redesigned body kit that’s also wider than stock. It rolls on some futuristic-looking 22-inch wheels and behind them are some meaty 6-pot brake calipers on larger discs. While we haven’t heard any more about the concept car since its unveiling at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, we’re hoping the rumoured 2024 release will still happen. While we’re hoping things, would it be too much to hope the automaker will bring out something to challenge the performance market again? A new Evo made to tackle the latest from Subaru and the Toyota GR models would be awesome. SUVs have taken too many cars away from performance fanatics.
Take a look at the YouTube video with a walkaround of the amazing-looking Vision Concept that we hoped would a sign of new things for the brand, although it's been a year with no further news: 2022 Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart First Look - Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart Concept 2022 Revealed | Cars Highlights
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!