Mitsubishi RA news - Total Eclipse - 2007

It's still six weeks until the Detroit motor show, but Mitsubishi has already unveiled an early contender for our coveted Best-Looking Car in Show award.

This is the Concept-RA, a sports car study that takes the new Evo's all-wheel-drive tech and transplants it into a handsome coupe body... with diesel power.

Yes, diesel power. Nestled between those fat front arches is a 2.2-litre four-pot turbodiesel that produces just 202bhp but a decent 310lb ft of torque. That's an unusually realistic engine for a concept, and indicates that Mitsubishi could be serious about bringing this one to production. 

That turbodiesel drives all four wheels through the same dual-clutch 'box as found on the new Evo. 

The Concept-RA also borrows the Evo's centre diff, yaw control, stability control and active braking, but adds active steering and damping controls. All of which creates a bewildering array of acronyms and, more importantly, a car that should be as good to drive as it is to look at.

So is the Concept-RA finally an Eclipse for Europe, or is it a hint that there could be a diesel Evo on the way? We'll do our best to find out in Detroit next January.