TOKYO: Mitsubishi Motors may actually be having an American comeback. Well, sort of. The Automaker released this poster entitled “The Return Of A Legend” as a teaser for this shadowy SUV’s debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show on February 12. When considering “legendary” SUV nameplates in the Mitsubishi book of past products, it’s easy to immediately hone in on the Montero.
Remembered for its body-on-frame construction (for the first two generations, at least) and rugged four-wheel-drive capabilities, the Montero lasted three generations in the U.S., dating from 1982 through 2006. The SUV did live under other names elsewhere in the world, most notably the Pajero and Shogun.
It’s highly suspected Mitsu will debut a revamped or near production-ready version of its GC-PHEV concept. The highly stylized SUV first saw daylight at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show where it showed crowds Mitsubishi was focused on offering more “green” vehicles.
As its name suggests, the concept was a plug-in hybrid with a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 backed by an eight-speed automatic and supplemented by a 94-horsepower electric motor and high-capacity battery. Despite that supercharged V-6 making 335 horsepower, the GC-PHEV aimed to achieve roughly 35 mpg highway. Its all-electric range was a hair over 25 miles on a single charge.
Whatever Mitsubishi brings to Chicago, we suspect it will eventually make it into production, as the Japanese automaker doesn’t have the funds to invest into concept vehicles that don’t go anywhere. Let’s just hope this “legendary” vehicle is more hit than miss.
