The Mitsubishi Concept-RA is a concept car first shown at the North American International Auto Show in January 2008. It was widely read by the motoring press as a hint at a possible fifth generation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and it combined a small clean diesel engine with the company’s all-wheel-drive technology.
Mitsubishi Concept-RA at a glance
| Shown | North American International Auto Show, January 2008 |
|---|---|
| Type | concept sports coupé |
| Chassis | aluminium space frame |
| Engine | 4N14 2.2-litre clean diesel |
| Output | 150 kW, 204 PS, 201 hp |
| Torque | 420 Nm |
| Drive | S-AWC all-wheel drive |
| Gearbox | SST twin-clutch transmission |
| Body panels | recyclable green plastic resin |
| Expected to preview | a fifth-generation Eclipse |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Concept-RA, which is short. The article therefore describes the concept only in outline.
History of the Mitsubishi Concept-RA
A diesel sports car study
The Concept-RA was unveiled in Detroit in January 2008. Underneath its aluminium space frame sat the 4N14, a 2.2-litre clean diesel producing 150 kW, or 204 PS, and 420 Nm of torque. Power went to all four wheels through Mitsubishi’s S-AWC drivetrain and an SST twin-clutch transmission.
The choice of a diesel was unusual for a sports coupé, and it fitted the company’s argument at the time that efficiency and performance did not have to exclude each other. The concept followed other Mitsubishi prototypes of the period in using recyclable green plastic resin extensively for the body panels and interior, a decision presented on environmental grounds.
An Eclipse in waiting?
The automotive press speculated that the Concept-RA previewed a potential fifth generation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse. That car never appeared in this form: the fourth-generation Eclipse, introduced in 2005, was the last of the line, and Mitsubishi ended Eclipse production in 2011. The Concept-RA therefore stayed a study, remembered for showing what a small-diesel, four-wheel-drive coupé from the company could have looked like.
Design and features
- Clean diesel: a 2.2-litre 4N14 with 204 PS and 420 Nm.
- Aluminium space frame: a light structure for a compact coupé.
- S-AWC and SST: all-wheel drive with a twin-clutch gearbox.
- Green plastic: recyclable resin used widely in body and interior.
- Eclipse link: read by the press as a preview of a fifth-generation Eclipse.
Mitsubishi Concept-RA versions
- Concept-RA (2008): the only version built, a pure show car.
The Concept-RA pointed towards the Eclipse, and it used the all-wheel-drive technology later seen in the Lancer Evolution. More cars are in the Mitsubishi collection.
Sources
- Mitsubishi Concept-RA, English Wikipedia: show debut, chassis, engine, drivetrain
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