- Mitsubishi supports the idea of an electric auto racing series.
- Company President Osamu Masuko is intrigued by the lower development costs for an EV racecar.
- The company has no experience in grand prix racing, though it has history in WRC and Dakar competition.
TOKYO — Japanese automaker Mitsubishi is "very interested" in a racing series for electric vehicles, according to the company's president, Osamu Masuko.
Japan Today reports that Mitsubishi, Japan's sixth largest car manufacturer, would use such a series for development of electric passenger cars.
The company introduced its i MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) in 2009 and will sell its EV in the U.S. this year as the Mitsubishi i. Formula 1's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, announced earlier this month it is working with representatives of the European Commission to develop a racing series for electric vehicles.
"The development costs for electric vehicles seem much lower than for gasoline cars, and it would also contribute to the technological development of cars that are already on the market," Masuko told Japan Today.
"I'm said to be unenthusiastic about motorsports, but with electric vehicles, I want to promote them," Masuko said.
Mitsubishi has good reason to be a booster of performance-oriented EVs in competition. As the company develops a post-2013 successor to its iconic Lancer Evolution, it reportedly is considering a high-performance plug-in hybrid built on the next-generation Lancer platform due in 2013. That car could employ technology previewed on Mitsubishi's PX-MiEV concept from 2009.
Grand prix racing, at any level, would be new for Mitsubishi, but the company, which dates from 1917 as an automobile manufacturer, has a measure of racing experience, mostly in off-road competition.
Tommi Makinen helped make the Evo famous in World Rally Championship competition during the 1990s, and Mitsubishi was a dominant entry in the Dakar Rally (formerly Paris-Dakar), winning seven straight victories from 2001-'07. Those were the last of 12 victories, dating from the company's first Dakar win in 1985. The company withdrew from the iconic rally in 2009.
Inside Line says: The skyrocketing costs of petroleum can't help but drive interest in alternative powertrain development, and historically, auto racing has played a role in the development of automotive technology. — David Green, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
fhwulala says:
06:05 PM, 04/28/2011
A true racing enthusiast would enjoy any race regardless of the year, make, or powertrain. The joy lies in the competition itself.
hopster says:
05:07 PM, 04/28/2011
"A silent F1 GP would be about as exciting to me as a concert does to someone who's deaf."
At least a concert has some bass, electric motors got none of that!
jackson611 says:
11:32 AM, 04/28/2011
A silent F1 GP would be about as exciting to me as a concert does to someone who's deaf.