Skip to main content

Mitsubishi is already looking forward to this fall's Paris Auto Show

Mitsubishi Ground Tourer Concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Mitsubishi is one of the first carmakers to reveal its plans for the upcoming biennial Paris Auto Show. The Japanese firm will travel to the French capital to unveil a futuristic-looking concept car powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain.

Dubbed Grand Tourer, the concept is billed as an upscale SUV. And while the intentionally blacked-out teaser image does a good job of hiding the off-roader’s lines, we’re told that it will fall in line with Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield design language. That means it will feature a thin grille mounted high on the front fascia, slim and elongated headlights, and a muscular-looking front bumper.

Recommended Videos

What the teaser image does reveal is that the design is accented by a tall belt line, and blacked-out door pillars that create the illusion of a floating roof. Mitsubishi explains the Grand Tourer reflects four elements: Augmented possibilities, functional beauty, solid thrust, and Japanese craftsmanship.

Mitsubishi is keeping technical details under wraps until the start of the Paris show. At this point, all we know is that the Grand Tourer concept will boast four-wheel drive, and that it will be capable of driving on electricity alone for short distances. It’s too early to tell whether the Grand Tourer’s drivetrain shares components with the plug-in version of the Outlander.

Read more: Nissan now controls longtime rival and partner Mitsubishi

We’ll hear more about Mitsubishi’s upcoming concept in the next few weeks, and Digital Trends will be on the show floor in Paris to bring you live images of it as soon as the veil comes off. As for what the future holds, that’s anyone’s guess. Mitsubishi has routinely shown hybrid off-roader concepts at major auto shows for the past couple of years, but most of them haven’t made the transition from the show floor to the showroom — at least not yet.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
What I saw at the LA Auto Show gives me hope for humanity
Mach-E Reveal At 2019 LA Auto Show

Throw your gaze in any direction under the glaring stage lights at the Los Angeles Auto Show and your eyes will land on the newest and greatest wares of every major (and some not so major) automobile manufacturer this world has to offer. The LA Auto Show has become the premier event to unveil new models for the United States market, usurping even the Detroit Auto Show, despite the former's vicinity to the US's Big Three automakers. But the LA show is also, obviously, in Los Angeles, California. LA is the biggest car sales city, in the biggest car sales state, in the second largest car sales country. And Los Angeles has particular tastes as to what it wants from a new car.

LA used to be covered in smog. I mean, it still kind of is, but compared to how bad the air pollution was in the 70's, the air here now might as well be as clean as virgin snow. Angelenos have never really gotten over how bad the air was, and have embraced ecological causes of all sorts in a massive bear hug. We have to check our vehicle's emissions equipment every two years, we allow alternative fuel vehicles to use the carpool lane, and we passed tax credits for buying electric cars.

Read more
Hyundai teases Ioniq 9 electric SUV’s interior ahead of expected launch
hyundai ioniq 9 teaser launch 63892 image1hyundaimotorpresentsfirstlookationiq9embarkingonaneweraofspaciousevdesign

The Ioniq 9, the much anticipated three-row, electric SUV from Hyundai, will be officially unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.

Selected by Newsweek as one of America’s most anticipated new vehicles of 2025, the Ioniq 9 recently had its name changed from the Ioniq 7, which would have numerically followed the popular Ioniq 6, to signal the SUV as Hyundai’s new flagship EV model.

Read more
Kia EV5: everything we know so far
Kia EV9 front exterior

Kia is expanding its EV lineup in a big way. The company is currently in the middle of rolling out the EV3, which is now available in Europe and is likely to come to the U.S. next year. Not only that, but it's also prepping the EV4, which it will likely announce more widely in 2025. And it's not stopping there either -- the Kia EV5 is a slightly scaled-back version of the much-loved EV9 SUV, and not only is it a vehicle we're excited about, but it's one that has already launched in Australia.

If the EV5 is anything like the EV9 -- only cheaper -- it'll be an instant success. Curious about whether the EV5 could be your next car? Here's everything we know about the EV5.
Design
Despite the lower number, the Kia EV5 is actually larger than the EV6 crossover — but not quite as large as the EV9 SUV. Kia calls it a “compact SUV” that offersa boxy design that’s similar to the EV9, but with only two rows of seats instead of three.

Read more