In the news this week…

Next-gen SUVs from Mitsubishi

All at once, Mitsubishi have unveiled three new concept cars, teasing us with a few very dark and mysterious promo shots.

The new SUVs show the latest direction Mitsubishi will be taking in their future vehicle designs, with a more prominent front grille, sleek headlights and low front end (and that’s really all we can make out!).

Mitsubishi have said that the larger concept model, the GC-PHEV, will be an environmentally-friendly yet fun-to-drive SUV, although emission or MPG figures have been released as yet.

The XR-PHEV is a smaller, more compact vehicle that’s said to rival the Honda CR-V with its lightweight hybrid system, and the smallest concept, the AR (which is short for Active Runabout)has been described by the company as having ‘both the mobility of an SUV and the occupant space of an MPV’, and comes with a turbocharged petrol engine.

We expect Mitsubishi to release further detail about their trio of SUVs over the coming weeks in the run-up to their public unveiling at the Tokyo Motor Show next month.

Things not looking so bright for UK in ‘World Solar Challenge’

38 teams from around the world are set to compete in the biennial World Solar Challenge in Australia this year, racing their solar-powered vehicles 1,864 miles right across the country, from Darwin to Adelaide.

But things haven’t turned out so well for the UK, and unfortunately our hopes for winning the title have already been dashed, just five days before the competition was set to start.

Built by a team from Cambridge University, the UK’s solar vehicle entry rolled onto its side during testing, slid 50 meters, came off the road and stopped, looking more than a little worse for wear at the bottom of an embankment.

The driver managed to escape unharmed, but the vehicle was withdrawn from the competition after it suffered what the team described as ‘dynamic instabilities’ too difficult to fix in time before the race.

Oh well. There’s always 2015’s race to look forward to.