The Mitsubishi D:X Concept is a Delica 4x4 from the future

Mitsubishi may have only left the UK in 2020, and it may not have sold that much of interest in its final few years on our shores, but for some reason we still miss it dearly.

The new D:X Concept – unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show this week – certainly isn’t helping those feelings of loss. Described by Mitsubishi itself as an “electrified crossover MPV”, we’re told that it hints at the Delica of the future.

This is great news. The Delica has actually been around since 1968, but it’s the fourth-generation that you see on UK roads most often, usually with chunky tyres, some form of suspension lift and often with excellent campervan conversion kits.

Anyway, back to the D:X. The design is suitably concept-like with chunky arches, futuristic laser lighting and six separate captain’s chairs on the inside. Mitsubishi says that it’s a “vastly spacious cabin” based on a design concept known as “Maximum Space and Safety for Humans, Maximum Off-Roader for Boundaryless Adventure”.

Off-road people carriers are just a whole heap cooler than SUVs though, aren’t they? The D:X Concept gets plenty of underbody protection and a plug-in hybrid system that sends an unconfirmed amount of power to all four wheels. It also gets a ‘see-through’ dashboard that can pick out off-road obstacles and even show which way your front wheels are pointing. Very clever.

A huge amount of actual glass ensures that the cabin is properly airy too, while the front seats can swivel when stopped to create a neat social space. Oh, and each of those seats has speakers in the headrest thanks to a collaboration with Yamaha (the audio department, rather than the team responsible for the bikes).

Should this future Delica be the car to bring Mitsubishi back to the UK?