Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV set to make Aussie mark

Australian car buyers are ready to embrace electrification and with it the second generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

At least, that’s the hope of Mitsubishi Australia, with more details about the petrol-electric Mitsubishi Plug-In Hybrid EV (as Mitsubishi now terms it) dropping within days.

We already know pretty much what it will look like courtesy of some teases and the reveal of the orthodox ICE fourth-generation Outlander, which goes on-sale November 1 in Australia. The Outlander PHEV follows early in 2022.

The original plug-in Outlander was the first PHEV SUV to be launched in Australia when it went on-sale in March 2014.

While the technology was cutting edge for the time and the fuel consumption savings significant, high pricing and a lack of interest in electrification reduced buyer interest to a trickle.

But Mitsubishi Australia senior product strategy manager Owen Thomson says all that has changed now.

“It’s fair to say we have been playing in the plug-in hybrid EV space for a number of years and in some ways that car (Outlander PHEV) was way ahead of the Australian market,” he said.

“The market is now coming towards PHEV in Australia.”

Mitsubishi is doubling down on its PHEV bet by dropping the 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engines from the new Outlander line-up, corralling buyers interested in economy toward the plug-in.

The Outlander is also no longer the lone crusader in the PHEV SUV segment.

Plug-in SUVs currently on-sale in Australia include the MG HS, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, the Kia Sorento PHEV seven-seat SUV, the Kia Niro and Volvo XC40 Recharge.

The new Outlander PHEV will be followed on-sale in Australia by a direct competitor, the Ford Escape PHEV, which has gone through several delays including a stop-sale because of battery fire concerns.

“The critical point for us is really about the understanding and education of the powertrain because in the past its not been well understood, the capabilities of the powertrain,” admitted Mitsubishi Australia’s Outlander product strategy manager Tim Clarke.

“But now with the general movement towards decarbonisation, we are seeing a lot more people wanting to learn and educate themselves on how this product might fit into their daily driving routine and what suits their daily driving routine; is it an EV, is it a plug-in hybrid, is it a hybrid or an internal combustion engine?

“The market is coming to us in that respect, whereas in the past it’s been rather niche, so we are looking to capitalise on that and we are really excited about the new plug-in hybrid.”

Mitsubishi is yet to talk in detail about the pricing of the new Outlander or its new-gen PHEV powertrain.

The current model is priced from $47,990 and is powered by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine teamed with two electric motors. The same system is employed by the Eclipse Cross.

The new model could change from that set-up with some overseas reports suggesting it could employ a version of the 2.5-litre Nissan engine that powers the rest of the new Outlander line-up.

We also know the plug-in will now offer three-rows and seven seats. The first generation topped out at five seats and two rows of seating.