Mitsubishi Concept-CT
The Concept-CT exists mainly to showcase Mitsubishi's current foray into alternative fuels, although it doesn't take the company very far into that field.
The CT has an electric motor in each wheel, powered by electricity generated by a 1.0-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine. The motors are used as part of the computer-controlled all-wheel drive — a system Mitsubishi calls MIEV (Mitsubishi In-wheel-motor Electric Vehicle).
It's not a bad idea, but similar systems have been on concept vehicles for years, going all the way back to General Motor's Autonomy fuel-cell concept in 2002. And it's not the only idea on this car that Mitsubishi arrived at late: the rearview cameras in place of mirrors have been on multiple concepts, and the flip-up seat bottoms on the rear seats are available on the Honda Fit, which will arrive in showrooms in April.
Power is also captured in regenerative braking and stored in a lithium-ion battery pack beneath the rear seats to be used as an additional power source. With this component, the CT can legitimately be called an alternative-fuel vehicle, although any vehicle that relies primarily on gasoline combustion would have to fall on the "mild" end of the alt-fuel spectrum.
Inside, the CT does have a couple of nice touches. Pop-up digital displays replace the dashboard gauges. Climate and stereo controls sit at the end of the center console, where the driver's right hand would be if he or she made use of the armrest.
Mitsubishi showed a gas-electric hybrid system on its Concept-E, which evolved into the current Eclipse. That hybrid system did not make it into production. Similarly, U.S. drivers are not going to see the MIEV system in the near future, although it will be used in limited numbers in Japan.
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