2003 Mitsubishi Tarmac Spyder Concept - Mitsubishi's Future

MITSUBISHI'S TARMAC SPYDER MAKES WORLD PREMIERE AT 2003 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

DETROIT (January 6, 2003) - Mitsubishi Motors' Tarmac Spyder concept, makes its world premiere at the 2003 North American International Auto Show today and raises the "fun ante" for those who seek the driving thrills that can only be found behind the wheel of this bold new design identity. Inspired by the well-received Mitsubishi CZ-3 Tarmac sports hatch concept that appeared at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show (but was never seen in North America), Tarmac Spyder exudes a more aggressive performance and styling treatment. This evolutionary model embodies the excitement, emotion, sophistication and fun of the Mitsubishi Motors brand.

"Tarmac Spyder's exterior themes and appealing styling cues represent the visual design vocabulary that consumers can expect to see on future compact segment products from Mitsubishi around the world," said Pierre Gagnon, chairman and chief executive officer, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA).

With a continued focus on the young, spirited consumers who have flocked to the Mitsubishi Motors brand in recent years, the Tarmac Spyder is designed to connect with people who are enthusiastic about cars and are passionate about cutting-edge style matched with uncompromising performance. The 2+2 design yields greater utility than current two-seaters and encourages people to share their passion and excitement with friends or family. The notion of "fun for four" has never been more real.

The Mitsubishi Tarmac Spyder relies on a sporty, purposeful design approach that engages drivers and passengers with spirited performance and energizes them with a friendly, open-cockpit environment. Mitsubishi's Tarmac Spyder athletic sheet metal is wrapped around the supremely capable front-engine, full-time all-wheel-drive chassis design legendary for carrying Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution vehicles to numerous rally championships around the world. At the heart of this sporty concept is the race-proven, 2.0-liter, 16-valve, turbocharged and inter-cooled engine capable of producing move than 300 horsepower. Behind this highly tuned engine is an electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission that features Sportronic controls. The Tarmac Spyder boasts incredible road holding capability thanks to its computer-controlled Active Center Differential (ACD) and rear differential with electronic Active Yaw Control capability (AYC).

Exterior

The Tarmac Spyder's exterior design is a fun, fresh, appealing form that seems destined to add more championship trophies to Mitsubishi's already-crowded shelf. The compact platform pushes the large, imposing 19-inch wheels out to the corners of the vehicle to maximize interior space and create very stable, responsive handling characteristics. Muscular, bulging sheet metal fenders stretched over the massive wheels project a form that is athletic and tautly built. Tarmac Spyder's fascia provides a showcase for the bold, daring and expressive styling design that has rapidly come to define Mitsubishi Motors' global corporate product identity. With an aggressive split-grille and sculpted air intakes the vehicle offers an imposing sense of presence and race-inspired function that will appeal to future sports car buyers.

The aggressive nature and large size of the vehicle's front-end air intake duct is the result of this performance car's need to ingest large volumes of ambient air to aid the engine's intercooler and radiator.

A smart, forward-flipping engine cover reveals the highly tuned race-inspired motor and is reminiscent of the hood operation on classic sports cars like the Jaguar XKE. The front and rear ends feature unique headlight and taillight designs. The Tarmac Spyder's long front headlamps use a clear lens that runs the length of the hood line and features three beams mounted in series as the lens travels up the fender. The rear taillights feature a similar design with a clear lens covering the metallic-finished lens barrels. The result is a modern look at both ends that is aggressive and futuristic.

The cabin is covered by a detachable hard-top roof that adds open-air exhilaration to the drive while easily allowing for protection from the elements when necessary. The vehicle's racing-style, pop-top machined aluminum gas cap provides further evidence that Tarmac Spyder may someday be destined for competition.

Interior

The Tarmac Spyder's clean, expressive exterior is married to an elegantly spartan, purposeful and futuristic interior that is finished with high-quality modern materials. The vehicle's four-passenger interior utilizes racecar inspired materials and elegant forms to produce a very modern, highly functional interior arrangement. The interior makes extensive use of metallic and metal finished surfaces that add to the vehicle's racecar sense of purpose, strength and durability. A compact, sporty I/P display appears in front of a metal-finished steering wheel.

The dash panel and center console are comprised of crisp, modern, metallic-finished surfaces and include a sporty, three-dial, digital display. Metallic finish surfaces also appear on the door panels and seat backs.

The Tarmac Spyder is equipped with lightweight, highly supportive racing seats that enhance the performance-oriented nature of the vehicle. The seats are built using resilient, metal exo-skeletal frames and are covered in a supportive, rich red leather material. To meet the demand of active lifestyles for utility, this flexible sports car concept also features folding rear seats that lay forward to accommodate large items passed through from the trunk. Rugged diamond-plated metal plates replace carpeted floor mats and add to the vehicle's mechanical character and greater sense of interior durability.

The vehicle's wheels-at-the-corners stance creates a roomy passenger environment that comes alive when the hard top is removed but feels spacious with the top locked into place. The vehicle's two doors are mounted on machined four-link hinges that swing the doors forward to facilitate easier entry and exit for passengers in either row. Backseat passengers are protected by a rear roll bar that also contains the center high mount signal lamp. The metallic-finished center console houses the shifter and its chassis-reinforcing architecture extends between the two rear seats of this exotic, rally-bred 2+2.

Electronics

To complement the inspiring open-air views Tarmac Spyder affords, Mitsubishi Motors packed this fun-loving sports concept with an entertainment package befitting the techno-savvy youngsters for which this car was designed.

Front and rear passengers can enjoy their favorite videos on crisp, adjustable color DVD flat screen displays or listen to their favorite music at mind-numbing concert-level decibels thanks to a high-power CD audio system complete with subwoofer. The front display features a flat video screen with mouse-controlled climate, audio and telematic controls.

Inspired by the popular video games that have spawned a young generation of Lancer Evolution enthusiasts, Tarmac Spyder's video display screens can also project a driver's eye view of the road or track thanks to a camera mounted in the side mirror. The camera features a replay option that allows passengers to quickly and easily view their favorite run around the track as if they were living in the popular videogame Gran Turismo.

The Mitsubishi Tarmac Spyder provides a real look at the future of things to come. By combining the Lancer Evolution's tradition of powerful mind-blowing performance, with an athletic forward-looking design and a modern yet purposeful interior, Mitsubishi Motors has provided a compelling new look for highly capable entry-level sports cars.

With Tarmac Spyder, Mitsubishi Motors provides clear evidence that the brand's connection with young, spirited consumers is only getting stronger.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all of the North American operations of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. As a single company consolidated on January 1, 2003, MMNA and its subsidiaries manufacture, distribute, finance and market Mitsubishi brand coupes, convertibles, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of nearly 700 dealers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Mitsubishi Motors sold its first vehicle in the U.S. in 1981, and began building cars here in 1988 at its manufacturing facility in Normal, Ill. For more information, call the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at 888-560-6672.

Source: Mitsubishi
Tokyo, Japan
http://www.mitsubishicars.com/

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