Mitsubishi’s Comeback Play: Luxe, Tech, and Pure Adventure
Mitsubishi’s back, and it’s done playing nice. At the Japan Mobility Show, the brand unwrapped the SUV they’ve been teasing us about for the past month, the Elevance Concept, a plug-in hybrid SUV that looks ready to chew up gravel, cross a continent, and power your campsite while it’s at it.
Where most carmakers are chasing shiny software, Mitsubishi’s chasing connection. The Elevance blends the brand’s old-school toughness with new-school intelligence. It’s part luxury lounge, part mountain gear, and all attitude.
Quad-Motor Power Meets Plug-in Intelligence
Underneath the sculpted shell sits a quad-motor PHEV system pairing a high-efficiency petrol engine with a hefty battery pack. The Super All-Wheel Control setup has been turned up to eleven, with an electric motor at each wheel for pinpoint traction. It reads the terrain in milliseconds and sends power where it’s needed, so mud, snow, or sand barely make it flinch. It’s the spiritual descendant of the Lancer Evo, only quieter and far more polite about it.
Then there’s the clever bit. The Elevance isn’t just about going off-grid; it can power the grid you bring. Plug in your lights, cook a meal, even run a shower. Mitsubishi showed it with a trailer setup that turns the SUV into a glamping HQ. No gas generators, no fuss — just silence and scenery.
Mitsubishi
The AI That Actually Understands You
Inside, Mitsubishi’s AI Co-Driver aims to make journeys smarter, not bossier. It learns your habits and suggests new routes and destinations based on your preferences. Prefer forest roads to motorways? It remembers. The AI lives in a panoramic display that stretches across the dash and even into the steering wheel. It’s futuristic without feeling clinical. Like if Apple got a taste for off-roading.
The design of the Elevance Concept and hopefully the upcoming off-road capable Outlander, follows what Mitsubishi calls “Luxe Adventurer.” The top half is glassy and modern, the bottom muscular and functional. It looks part spaceship, part climbing boot. The cabin is cocoon-like, with warm materials, sculpted panels, and just enough tech to make you feel capable rather than overwhelmed.
Mitsubishi
A Luxury SUV For People Who Still Believe in Roads
Mitsubishi’s tagline for this new era is “Forever Adventure.” This is a hard reset for the brand. The Elevance Concept signals that the brand famous for rally grit is ready to evolve into something smarter and more sophisticated without losing its edge.
There’s no production date, no price, no promises — yet. But if Mitsubishi can turn even half of this concept into reality, it won’t just be returning to the SUV game; it’ll be redefining it.
Mitsubishi
