Mitsubishi readies for Outlander PHEV launch

LAS VEGAS -- The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has been a key performer for the brand for years and has been serving as a gateway to electrification for customers, said Richard Herod III, chairman of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board.

Now the redesigned model is getting ready to debut this year with a new system that will offer a higher range than its predecessor's 24-mile EPA rating and deliver a more powerful road performance. The upcoming 2023 Outlander PHEV achieved 87 km of range, or 54 miles, using the Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Test Cycle, an internationally recognized method built around urban, suburban and highway driving modes with average usage ratios, the brand said. The EPA rating hasn't been released.

Dealers learned more about latest Outlander PHEV during Sunday's dealer meeting, while also getting details on the revival of Mitsubishi's Ralliart performance brand.

Herod, who owns White Bear Mitsubishi in Minnesota, has had success moving the Outlander PHEV at his store by educating the staff about the vehicle so they'll ask consumers the right questions to get a better sense of their needs.

The Midwest dealership is the top-selling Outlander PHEV store in the U.S.

"You take a look and say, 'OK, what's a good-looking SUV [that] you have the freedom to plug when you want or use gasoline?'" Herod told Automotive News after the meeting. "And I think that consumers, you know, maybe they want to transition to an EV in the future. I think they're really looking to the gateway vehicle. I think that because the crossover market's so hot, the PHEV is going to serve that niche perfectly."

Having a successful launch of the Outlander PHEV this year will be a top goal for Mitsubishi Motors North America's incoming CEO, Mark Chaffin.

Chaffin said the redesigned, gasoline-powered Outlander that debuted last year has been "on fire." Outlander sales rose 24 percent in the U.S. in 2021 to 36,133, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center, accounting for 35.4 percent of the brand's volume.

"We're continuing to enhance Outlander," Chaffin told Automotive News. "It's only been in the market a year. We're not sitting on our heels. We're bringing forward some great trim enhancements to the dealers. It's going to keep the customers engaged, keep the customers looking at us.

"Outlander is going to continue to be a big hit, and when we launch the PHEV version of it, we're going to bring in a whole other group of customers."