TOKYO: The Mitsubishi XFC Concept made its world premiere last week in Ho Chi Minh City and goes on display at the annual Vietnam Motor Show, which opens today and runs until Oct 30.
Mitsubishi Motors president and chief executive officer Takao Kato said the compact SUV concept car would go into series production for the Asean market between April 2023 and March 2024.
The concept car is a compact SUV that is not part of the current Asean lineup. It complements Mitsubishi's products tailored to the Asean market such as Triton, Pajero Sport, Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Xpander, Xpander Cross, Mirage and Attrage.
Mitsubishi bills the XFC Concept as essentially an adventure companion that looks good, has ample cabin and cargo space and handles well enough on rough road surfaces and is able to tackle flooded roads easily.
All these is marketing-speak of course and how the production car stacks up in the real world will be the subject of future road tests by motoring writers when it goes into production.
But what's interesting is that the XFC Concept will feature a Wet mode — in a first for a Mitsubishi model — that is designed for use in this region that is prone to flash floods.
It will come with high ground clearance and three other drive modes namely Normal, Gravel and Mud.
Mitsubishi said the XFC Concept is designed for ease of operation and boasts good forward visibility and smooth handling.
"In the future, we plan to add an electrified variant to the lineup and to also roll it out in regions outside Asean. We hope to grow the model from a vehicle for the Asean market to a global strategic vehicle, making it a core model like the sales-leading Xpander," said Kato.
