[vadimus_ca]

Mitsubishi, Subaru plan auto show launches

This month’s biennial Tokyo auto show is getting closer.

And ahead of the media-only days planned for the last week of this month, automakers attending this year’s event have started to announce their vehicle debuts.

With the majority of its Canadian sales coming from small cars, Mitsubishi’s announcement that it plans on debuting its new “global small car” and a “close-to-market” version of its first-ever hybrid at this year’s show is a big deal for the Japanese automaker.

The world premiere of the PX-MiEV II concept gives clues not only to the technology powering the brand’s first hybrid, but also the styling for the next generation Outlander crossover, due in 2013.

The PX-MiEV II will be all-wheel-drive, with the gas engine powering the front wheels, the e-motor powering the back.

Mitsubishi’s new small car, to be called the Mirage in Thailand where it is expected to go on sale in 2012, replaces the subcompact Colt already sold in foreign markets, and is expected to go on sale in North America eventually.