Mitsubishi's PX-MiEV concept loaded with creature comforts

In Brief: Mitsubishi is previewing its PX-MiEV hybrid in anticipation of the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.

Vehicle in the news

Make/Model: PX-MiEV concept
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi

The Word

Mitsubishi, one of the few remaining major automakers that hasn't pulled out of the Tokyo show, will be previewing its PX-MiEV concept, a plug-in hybrid crossover with a 1.6-liter DOHC MIVEC gas engine and two permanent magnet synchronous motors.

According to the company press release, the PX-MiEV comes with the "Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid System in which electronic circuitry automatically switches to the optimum drive mode for different driving conditions … [it] also utilizes the MiEV OS (MiEV Operating System) which selects the optimum drive mode through integrated control of the EV components and the gasoline engine as well as controls optimum electrical charge and output in response to remaining battery energy through constant monitoring of the drive battery."

In other words, when the tank is full and the batteries are charged, the PX-MiEV can run as a parallel hybrid; it can also go for about 30 miles in EV mode, and it can transform into series hybrid mode when the batteries die.

And so …

This concept is big on comfort, short on reality. But check out some of the details of the interior: The upholstery "deactivates allergens, breaks down VOC's (volatile organic compounds) and offensive odor molecules" and kills bacteria; the heat reflective glass "shuts out UV-A radiation to protect skin from darkening and aging" and there's a negative-ion aroma humidifier and oxygen enricher that "improves comfort and reduces fatigue."

Photo credits: Mitsubishi

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