Mitsubishi used the Geneva show to introduce its next-generation Outlander crossover, which will form the basis for the brand’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid.
The new Outlander is similar in size and shape to the outgoing model. According to Mitsubishi, it was designed as an “engineer’s car” with “solid, safe, and simple” as the three leading guidelines. It inaugurates a new, more fluid design language that will be gradually applied to the rest of the lineup.
Mitsubishi is moving upmarket with its mid-size crossover. The brand claims that it has given the interior a more premium feel thanks to the use of padded surfaces, soft-touch finishes, and a high-resolution instrument display.
In Europe, buyers will initially be able to choose between a 2.0-liter MIVEC gasoline engine, or a 2.2-liter MIVEC turbodiesel, both available in two-wheel or four-wheel drive. Depending on which market the car is sold in, a start-stop system and a new six-speed automatic transmission will be part of the package.
A plug-in hybrid drivetrain will be offered starting in 2013. It will reportedly use technology derived from the brand’s expertise in building electric vehicles. Mitsubishi released vague technical details about it, saying only that it is targeting a range of almost 500 miles, and CO2 emissions below 50 grams per kilometer. Power is expected to be sent to all four wheels.
The 2012 Outlander will debut in Russia next summer. Europe will get it a month or two later, and it will bow in Japan, Oceania, and North America next fall.
