Mitsubishi announced today that we’ll see a plug-in hybrid version of its third-generation Outlander crossover—itself just introduced this past February—at the Paris auto show in September. The company says the Outlander plug-in will offer drivers a choice of settings: full EV, EV with a range-extending gasoline engine (like the Fisker Karma), or parallel hybrid (like a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape hybrid). Two electric motors, mounted at the front and rear of the vehicle, give the Outlander plug-in hybrid full-time all-wheel drive.
European Mitsubishi Outlander with conventional powertrain
No other powertrain information was released today, but the specifications of a recent Mitsubishi concept car are probably a good indication of what the Outlander plug-in hybrid will have in production. The PX-MiEV II concept, a crossover displayed at the 2011 Tokyo auto show last November, paired a 94-hp 2.0-liter gasoline engine with two 81-hp electric motors. Electric-only range was said to be 30 miles.
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Mitsubishi plans to offer the regular Outlander in the U.S. at some point in the future, and likely is planning to build it at the company’s now-vacant plant in Illinois. Whether executives in Japan will approve additional investment in Mitsu’s U.S. operations seems questionable, however: Sales have been minuscule here for years. Last month, the entire Mitsu brand was outsold in the U.S. by the Mercedes-Benz E-class alone. In Europe, the conventional Outlander is expected to hit the market this fall; sales of the plug-in hybrid should start “during the course of 2013.”
