New Magna

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Taken from GoAuto E-News


Mitsubishi releases fi rst details of its make-or-break Magna replacement
By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS
FIRST-RATE quality, an advanced V6 engine, improved
transmissions, sophisticated suspension and a stiff
body will help defi ne Mitsubishi’s crucial new Magna
replacement as a dedicated driver’s car.
This was the message Mitsubishi Motors Australia
Limited (MMAL) delivered this week in the fi rst of a series
of briefi ngs to be held in the run up to the sedan’s launch at
the Australian International Motor Show in October.
While the new nameplate and a moniker for higherseries
models (replacing Verada) are still to be confi rmed,
MMAL management stressed the $600 million it has
invested in the car, codenamed PS41, would ensure it
was far removed from its left-hand drive North American
donor car, the Galant.
Indeed, 70 per cent of PS41 will be new and more than
2000 components unique to the Australian-made vehicle.
This week’s briefi ng was held in conjunction with the
opening of a new $40 million ‘AA Class Tandem Press Line’
which, as part of a wider $250m upgrade to Mitsubishi’s
Tonsley Park assembly plant, is said to “guarantee”
unprecedented levels of quality in an Australian vehicle.
According to Mitsubishi, the ability to stamp one-piece
body side mouldings, and increased accuracy stemming
from new manufacturing processes like Mitsubishi’s ‘Toy-
Tab’ panel-fi t system, will contribute to a signifi cantly
stronger, smoother, quieter and more refi ned car, and one
which is also easier to enter and egress.
“Our mandate is to have our new car be the best-quality
car ever built in Australia,” said MMAL President and
CEO, Tom Phillips.
The new processes will make for a stiffer body – thought
to be almost double that of the current Magna – which in
turn will aid handling, ride and refi nement qualities to the
point where MMAL insists the PS41 will lead all locally
produced vehicles in these areas. And most imports, too.
This, in turn, fi ts neatly with fi ndings from the largest
market research campaign Mitsubishi has ever undertaken
in Australia, which indicates that Australian family car
buyers now consider sportiness and power to be prime
purchase considerations.
To that end, the PS41 will use a variation of Mitsubishi’s venerable 3.8-
litre 24-valve V6 engine that – backed by the company’s MIVEC variable
valve technology and a new-generation Bosch engine management system
– should boost power and torque to around 192kW and 335Nm respectively,
as well as improve emissions and driveability.
MMAL’s General Manager for Research and Development, Lee Kernich,
said the company took the opportunity to improve the V6 – to be built in
Japan – as it had to be re-engineered to meet the relevant Australian Design
Rules.
It has been calibrated “to suit Australian drivers”, and is part of what Mr
Kernich referred to as “control tuning” and “optimising” of the entire PS41
drivetrain, including the drive-by-wire accelerator pedal and wheel/tyre
combinations.
A smoother, less-intrusive traction control system will also form part of
the package, while Mr Kernich added further that the engine management
system would be compatible with a turbocharger.
He stopped short of saying there were plans for such a model, but take it
as read that one is at least on the drawing board.
Harnessing all this is an upgraded fi ve-speed automatic transmission
with a Tiptronic-style shift and a new control unit featuring driver-adaptive
hardware for increased response and greater effi ciency.
A manual gearbox, believed to be a six-speed unit, will further enhance
the PS41’s driver-orientated credentials.
Questioned on possible enthusiast driver resistance to
the car’s continuing front-wheel drive set-up, Mr Kernich
pointed to research indicating 70 per cent of large-car
buyers did not consider front-drive a disadvantage. Toyota
could also attest to this with the success of its Camry
Sportivo.
All-wheel drive variants have been ruled out for now.
A strut-based front suspension design with a fl at
fabricated cross-member and low-mounted steering rack,
and a similarly placed multi-link arrangement in the rear,
are expected to reduce road noise as well as boot-space
intrusion.
Ultimately, “excellent roll control, fl at cornering feel and
European handling characteristics” are all promised for the PS41.
Body rigidity, already stiffened by the single-piece stamping system, will
be bolstered by extra body bracing between the front suspension strut towers
and rear-seat bracing – meaning the new car, like the current Magna, will
eschew a split-fold rear seat.
According to Mr Kernich, incorporating a split-fold mechanism
compromises body strength and rigidity. However, he did indicate that a
larger aperture than the Magna’s ski-port opening should be available.
Braking will be by 16-inch ventilated discs up-front and 16-inch gridventilated
discs at the rear, the latter a preferred option over the 14-inch
solids used on the US Galant.
It seems Mitsubishi has run out of time and resources to
develop 17-inch wheels for the PS41, which must comply
with the company’s extensive year-long wheel-testing regime
before being signed off for production.
Far from being a hindrance to the Australian team, the US
Galant platform has provided substantial economies of scale
in various development and engineering areas.
“If we had to start with a clean sheet of paper we’d still
pretty much end up with the vehicle we have now,” Mr
Kernich said.
The fi rst Australian prototype PS41 in right-hand drive
form was developed in September 2003 and was tested
extensively here, in Europe (mostly Germany) and Japan.
Around August last year, the fi rst off-tool-parts prototype
arrived.
The car is now in the trial production phase, and will again repeat the
vigorous testing leading up to Job Number One (to borrow a Ford phrase)
in September.
Confi rmation of the car’s name is expected next month, ahead of the
unveiling of the PS41’s locally adapted exterior styling which should carry
greater differentiation than ever between the main car and higher-series
model.