Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has unveiled online its fully redesigned plug-In hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the Outlander SUV.
Sales will start in Japan on December 16, followed by Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2022 and North America in the second half of 2022.
It’s priced from 4,621,100 to 5,320,700 yen (A$54,223 to $62,422) and comes in three trim levels.
The base model M (five passengers) comes standard with driver assistance technologies and active safety system, the mid-range G (five or seven passengers) has additional features including 20-inch wheels and Mitsubishi Connect, and the high-end P (seven passengers) comes equipped with premium interior and exterior, Bose premium sound system and more.
“With low CO2 emissions and environmental impact in terms of life-cycle assessment, the all-new Outlander PHEV model can be considered the best solution for carbon neutrality today,” MMC president and chief executive Takao Kato says.
“With our electrification technology that delivers an eco-friendly ride, plus all-wheel control technology for safety and peace of mind in any kind of weather and road conditions, we are confident this new Outlander can make driving even more enjoyable and fulfilling.”
The Outlander was initially released in 20011 and has since been rolled out globally over three generations and has become a core model in the company’s line-up, comprising about 20% of the sales volume.
After the PHEV model was added to the previous generation in Japan in 2013, it was sequentially launched in regions including Europe, Oceania, North America and ASEAN, and has become a leader in the PHEV category with around 290,000 total units sold so far.
The all-new Outlander PHEV model has been given significant upgrades all over says MMC.
With an increase of around 40% in the output of the front and rear motors and drive battery, the new model can keep driving in EV mode and avoid starting the engine as much as possible even when pressing hard on the accelerator. Switching to a large capacity drive battery of 20kWh and raising the equivalent all-electric range to 87km has assured sufficient driving range even when using functions such as the air conditioner, while at the same time helping to reduce the frequency of charging.
An increase in the petrol tank capacity has also expanded the total possible range when combining EV driving with hybrid driving.
The power drive unit for the front motor is newly equipped with a booster function which bolsters performance by raising the supply of electric energy to the front motor while simultaneously reducing power consumption through improved generator efficiency.
Unifying the rear motor with the control unit also secured enough floor space to install a third row of seats, enabling a seven-seat layout. Installing the control unit on the outside of the passenger compartment has also helped to shut out high-frequency noise.
A new pedal operation mode makes it possible to accelerate and decelerate just by controlling the accelerator pedal.
The S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control) integrated vehicle dynamics control system, based on a twin-motor 4WD system with one drive motor in front and another in the rear, has a new brake AYC (Active Yaw Control) function for the rear wheels. This allows the system to distribute the driving force to the front and rear wheels optimally according to road and driving conditions, while torque vectoring by controlling the brakes on the left and right wheels is also possible for the front and rear wheels.
Seven drive modes can be selected depending on road surface conditions and driving style.
The all-new Outlander is equipped with evolved MI-PILOT7 single-lane driver assistance technology for highways. The control system integrates Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) to assist the driver in maintaining distance between vehicles while keeping in the centre of the lane. It also detects speed limit signs and automatically adjusts the set speed accordingly.
Based on the bold expressions of functionality with which MMC has designed its SUVs over the years, the company says it developed the all-new Outlander under its new design concept — Bold Stride — which expresses a bold, fixating presence with a solid stance.
