"Does your car make your heart beat faster?" That is the question asked by the Mitsubishi Motor booth. The company's key words this year are the "3 P's:" "Passion" (for the creation of next generation products), "Performance" (cutting-edge technology developed in motor sports) and "Perfection" (the delicacy of Japanese creative activity). Mitsubishi has a number of attractively designed concept cars on display that illustrate this new and exciting relationship between people and vehicles.
Located in the East Hall, the Mitsubishi Motor booth displays 19 vehicles, including two rally cars and four concept cars. All of the cars are finished in Mitsubishi's corporate colors, red and silver, to bring a unified image to the booth. "We're trying to differentiate Mitsubishi from the other booths," explains a staff member.
Among the most popular exhibits are the two rally cars in the motor sports corner near the central aisle, the "Lancer Evolution WRC2" and the "Pajero Evolution." Mitsubishi will return to the WRC (World Rally Championship) in 2004, and the Lancer participated in the 2003 WRC as a test vehicle. The Pajero was designed to run the Dakar Rally in 2004. The booth is crowded everyday with motor sports fans armed with their cameras.
Four Design-oriented Concept Cars
Mitsubishi's four concept cars are located in the center of the booth, surrounded by silver-metallic market vehicles. The small car, "i," and the aluminum-bodied, retro-flavored "SE-RO" use an "under floor midship layout" minicar chassis currently under development. The new chassis features a 2,560 mm long wheelbase that outdoes any other mini model currently available. Both come with packages that take advantage of the longer chassis.
There are also two open models on display, the "Tarmac Spyder," with its striking bright-red body and high-power engine, and the "CZ2 Cabriolet," a casual four-seater.
On the environment side, Mitsubishi displays a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) that runs on a fuel cell system supplied by its technology partner, DaimlerChrysler. The "GDI," Mitsubishi's next generation of low-pollution, fuel-efficient engines has its own corner as well. |
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| The "i" small car (top) and the aluminum-bodied, retro-flavored "SE-RO" (bottom). |
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| The "Tarmac Spyder," a high-performance sports model. |
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| The "CZ2 cabriolet" is targeted at females. |
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| Fuel cell vehicle (FCV) with DaimlerChrysler fuel cell system. |
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