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November 19, 2021

Mitsubishi's New Dynamic Shield Face Spreads To The 2022 Airtrek SUV


Well, that was fast. Almost immediately after Mitsubishi started applying their revised Dynamic Shield face on the Xpander, the front fascia is now fast making its way onto the rest of the carmaker’s line-up.

The next product to gain the new look is the Airtrek—an all-electric SUV produced by Mitsubishi’s joint-venture partner in China, GAC Mitsubishi Motors.

Launched at Auto Guangzhou, the Airtrek was developed on the concept of an “e-cruising SUV.” The “e,” in this case, represents three things: electric, expanding (as in expanding life with a car), and expressive.


Like the Xpander, the 2022 Airtrek features a bolder interpretation of the Dynamic Shield face. In this case, it has gone chiseled and angular. Meanwhile, the headlights get an L-shaped motif to the Xpander’s T-shaped one. Apart from the new Dynamic Shield face, the Airtrek’s rear features a hexagonal motif—a new design feature that’s supposed to embody the maneuverability and stability of Mitsubishi vehicles.

Inside, the Airtrek is open and spacious, featuring a horizontally-themed instrument panel that offers a broad field of vision and makes it easy to grasp the position of the car. To create a high-class feel, soft padding is introduced for the parts that passengers touch, and stitches are used in every detail. With its long wheelbase (2,830 mm) and broad overall width (1,920 mm), the new model also offers spacious interior room for the whole family to ride in comfort.


The Airtrek comes with a large capacity 70-kWh drive battery which should give it a maximum range of around 520 kilometers. Installing the drive battery in the center of the floor has achieved an ideal front-rear weight distribution with a low center of gravity, according to Mitsubishi. 

The motor, inverter, and reduction drive have been integrated into a single lightweight, compact unit—similar to the Outlander PHEV. It makes around 221 horsepower (165 kW) and 350 Nm of torque. All in all, the Airtrek promises a powerful yet smooth ride characteristic of an EV, with nimble handling.

3 comments:

  1. Mitsu should use this dynamic shield iteration on their SUVs like the Montero. Current design looks so similar with their pickups. Many SUV buyers wouldn't want to get an SUV that looks like a pickup and vice versa. I donno what Mitsu was thinking.

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  2. Sad when Mitsubishi's entry to the booming EV SUV segment is a rebadged GAC Aion V. A rebadged Nissan Ariya would've been better with more power and range, and just a better vehicle overall. This is more of a compliance vehicle than anything else

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    Replies
    1. Though to be fair, it is a China-specific vehicle. I doubt it will be sold outside of China, and a Mitsubishi version of the Nissan Ariya will likely be their global EV.

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