2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Se on 2040-cars

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Mitsubishi ready to expand PHEV lineup with ASX, Pajero

Mitsubishi likes what it's seen from plug-in hybrid sales of its Outlander SUV in Europe. Now, it looks like the Japanese automaker will go back to that proverbial well within the next few years. And, once again, SUVs will be the medium. Mitsubishi will start selling plug-in hybrid versions of its ASX compact crossover, the company's best-selling model in Europe, in 2017, Automotive News Europe says, citing comments from Osamu Masuko. A year after that, the company will debut the Pajero plug-in hybrid SUV. No details were disclosed about exactly what kind of PHEV powertains will be used in the vehicles, which will be part of the next-generation incarnations of both models. The ASX appears to be a good trial vehicle, given that more than 22,000 of them were sold in Europe through August, Automotive News reports, citing JATO Dynamics. Mitsubishi representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen. The company appears to be looking to build on the success of the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid. Mitsubishi sold almost 9,000 Outlander PHEVs in Europe during the first six months of the year. That model pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor and has an all-electric range of about 32 miles.

Mitsubishi says 2016 Outlander PHEV for US 'will be completely different'

While attending the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with Mitsubishi we got a chance to speak to three Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) executives about the Outlander PHEV, how the brand is strengthening its lineup and how it plans to promote that.
The Outlander PHEV that's quickly and quietly rolling off lots in Japan, Europe and Australia right now is not the same model we're going to get when it arrives in Fall 2015, with MMNA Executive Vice President Don Swearingen and US PR chief Alex Fedorak telling us that "it will be completely different." It can probably be viewed as the next-generation vehicle, part of the "major restyle in 2016" that will reskin the model in the new design language being applied to the brand's crossovers.
Its hybrid system is being tuned for more refinement, and the same work being done on the interior.

Despite missteps, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV a hit in UK

Like a stiff breeze off the White Cliffs of Dover, UK sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid may have the wind at its back. That's because the Japanese automaker isn't charging any extra, relative to the diesel-powered Outlander. And UK's Duxford Auto Group says it's already feeling the positive effects. The auto dealership is conducting about a dozen test drives a day for potential (and curious) customers, Cambridge News says. More tellingly, Duxford Auto is rebooking another dozen or so test drives per weekend day because of pent-up interest. The company hasn't released UK sales figures, Mitsubishi spokesman Dan Irvin told AutoblogGreen, but Duxford Auto says sales will be stronger than expected, especially since the Outlander PHEV is exempt from UK congestion charges. Mitsubishi introduced the Outlander PHEV to the UK this spring. The bonus there was that, inclusive of a UK government grant, the car was priced at the equivalent of about $47,000, or about the same price as the base diesel-powered version. The model, which pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor, has an all-electric range of 32 miles. Mitsubishi ran into problems with the Outlander PHEV in spring 2013 after a battery melted at a Japan dealership, causing the company to halt production on the model. The company later discovered that some of the batteries were short-circuiting due to a flaw in the screening process. Once those issues were solved, Mitsubishi doubled its production rate last year to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, Automotive News reported last month that California regulators will delay sales of the model in that state to late next year or early 2016 because of battery issues. The state, easily the largest US plug-in vehicle market, wants Mitsubishi to include battery-degradation monitors for the car's lithium-ion batteries. Mitsubishi spokesman Alex Fedorak refuted the report that the Outlander PHEV may not be available in the US until 2016. "Launch plans for the US version of the Outlander PHEV remain unchanged with an expected debut of Fall 2015," Fedorak told AutoblogGreen.