Current:Home > StocksIs this overlanding camper van the next step for the legendary Mitsubishi Delica? -ProfitLogic
Is this overlanding camper van the next step for the legendary Mitsubishi Delica?
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:07:36
In the middle of a dark, strange teaser image there is (to be frank) a dorky shape that has us super excited. Stout and ponderous, it’s certainly no revival of any of the classic sports coupes that Mitsubishi fans love, like the Eclipse, 3000GT, or even the JDM GTO. But it may be a preview of a vehicle that has us equally excited: the famously goat-like Delica van. Imagine crossing a Land Rover Defender 4x4 with a dorm room, and that’s the Delica in a nutshell.
What you actually see in the teaser image is almost certainly the D:X Concept, a preview of Mitsubishi’s idea of where to take the Delica next. Mitsubishi describes it as offering SUV-like all-terrain capabilities and a PHEV powertrain. It also features a bunch of cool but slightly goofy concept doodads, like lights that project marks to gauge the width of the D:X on narrow trails. Likewise, a massive screen provides “see-through” vision, projecting what’s in front of the D:X’s blunt nose as if the entire dash was made of glass. Probably not coming to production, but cool nonetheless — that’s what concepts are for, anyways.
2024 Range Rover:The new Velar P400 looks so hot, the rest almost doesn’t matter
Now, for the plan that may bring a Delica to fruition, which Mitsubishi calls Momentum 2030. First, Mitsubishi promises more electrified models — but importantly, there’s no strict promises about what will power the entire lineup. “Advanced-technology internal combustion engines” are still part of the plan. But more interestingly, the company promises several new vehicles before 2030 — specifically, “one new or completely refreshed vehicle to debut each year between fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2030” including “two all-new vehicles to debut into segments in which the company does not currently compete.”
Some of the shadowy vehicles look a lot like what’s currently on sale: the Outlander and its PHEV variant, the Outlander Sport and the EclipseCross. Maybe the small one in the back row, second from left, is a reimagined Mirage? It’s hard to tell, intentionally so.
But back to the tantalizing possibility of a Delica PHEV van for America. First of all, the Nissan-Rogue-based Outlander’s already got a U.S.-certified PHEV system, and it’s a good one. It has fast-charging capability (rare for PHEVs, with their small batteries) and a sizable 20-kWh battery pack. That gives the big Outlander PHEV crossover 38 miles of EV-only range, theoretically. It’s not the most efficient PHEV around, but it offers a lot of fairly unique attributes and appealing compromises.
That powertrain might work well in a Delica. Historically, the Delica used a truck-based ladder frame and a rear-drive-based powertrain, or in the case of the fourth-gen model a unibody chassis with running gear from the burly Pajero, including a real transfer case with a low range and locking differentials. The latest Delica is a front-wheel-drive-based vehicle that shares a version of its AWC all-wheel-drive system with the… Outlander. So, a picture is emerging, perhaps… build a new Delica body to meet U.S. safety standards, utilize a version of the proven and certified Outlander PHEV powertrain, and suddenly you’ve got a capable and appealing AWD van with the sort of burly, adventure-seeking looks the overlanding crowd is going to eat up. Oh, and it'd be only the second plug-in hybrid van in America, after the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
2024 Tesla Cybertruck:A Dual Motor Foundation Series first drive -- love it or hate it?
Seems like a smart move to us, especially given the long delays with the upcoming Volkswagen ID Buzz and the lack of enthusiasm in that company to produce a U.S.-market factory camper version of it. Mitsubishi could really get a lot of attention and a leg up on the competition by offering “factory upfitter" type options to it, or even a factory pop-top roof.
Whatever the upcoming Delica may or may not be, it’s encouraging that the company’s American arm placed the D:X front and center in an image promoting the company’s promise to introduce two all-new vehicles. Now it’s on Mitsubishi to deliver.
Photos by MotorTrend staff and manufacturer
veryGood! (823)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- 122 fishermen rescued after getting stranded on Minnesota ice floe, officials say
- Watch what you say! Better choices for common phrases parents shout during kids games
- A killer's family helps detectives find victim's remains after 15 years
- Sam Taylor
- Ravens claim No. 1 seed in AFC playoffs with another dominant display against Dolphins
- NFL Week 18 schedule: What to know about betting odds, early lines
- Russia launches record number of drones across Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv continue aerial attacks
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Beyond Times Square: A giant Peep, a wrench, a crab. A look at the weirdest NYE drops.
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Off-duty sergeant fatally shot at North Carolina gas station while trying to intervene during a crime, police say
- China’s manufacturing activity slows in December in latest sign the economy is still struggling
- How to watch Michigan vs. Alabama in Rose Bowl: Start time, channel, livestream
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- In Iowa, Nikki Haley flubs Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark's name
- Beyond Times Square: A giant Peep, a wrench, a crab. A look at the weirdest NYE drops.
- Massive waves threaten California, coast braces for another round after Ventura rogue wave
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
States set to enact new laws in 2024 on guns, fuzzy dice and taxes
Judge allows new court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital, rejecting NAACP request to stop it
Texas' Arch Manning is the Taylor Swift of backup quarterbacks
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Texas' Arch Manning is the Taylor Swift of backup quarterbacks
Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson finally get it right in setting beef aside for Cowboys' celebration
Special counsel Jack Smith urges appeals court to reject Trump's claim of presidential immunity