Mitsubishi will pull the wraps off a plug-in hybrid version of its next-gen Outlander CUV.
Mitsubishi plans to reveal its second battery car at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, a plug-in version of its Outlander crossover-utility vehicle.
The struggling Japanese maker only recently launched its i-MiEV battery-electric vehicle and appears to be betting that battery power is the key to improving its fortunes.
“Neither a mere adaptation of an existing Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) – powered vehicle, nor a dedicated Plug-in Hybrid technology showcase, the New Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV (or “PHEV”) will share its architecture with the soon-to-be-introduced New Outlander’s ICE versions – an engineering feat in itself,” the maker said in a teaser news release.
A preliminary sketch for the customized Mitsubishi i-MiEV racer targeting Pike's Peak..
Mitsubishi claims the new Outlander plug-in will be the first series production electric vehicle to offer permanent all-wheel-drive. That’s apparently meant to differentiate the Japanese maker from low-volume rivals, such as Amp, that are doing limited-volume conversions of all-wheel-drive products.
Specific details apparently won’t be released until autumn, in Paris, but it appears that the Outlander plug-in will use two electric motors, one on each axle, along with a separate internal combustion engine – likely a 4-cylinder gasoline powerplant. The ICE will serve dual duties: either functioning as an electric generator or providing some traction to the front wheels, according to Mitsubishi.
The crossover will feature three different operating modes:
- Pure, or totally electric drive;
- Series, with the two electric motors driving all four wheels and the gas engine serving as a generator; and
- Parallel, with the IC engine doing the heavy work, providing traction to the front wheels and the electric motors adding some additional torque.
The Paris Motor Show launch suggests that the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in will be targeted primarily to a Continental market, though it eventually could wind up in the States considering that’s a major market for crossovers of the Outlander size.
The new gas-powered Mitsubishi is due to market around the time of the Paris show. The plug-in version will follow in 2013, the maker says.
Mitsubishi’s little battery-electric vehicle, the i-MiEV in most markets, and simply the “i” in the U.S., went on sale late last year. So far, demand has been modest, running less than 100 a month in the States.
To help promote the battery car, Mitsubishi plans to run two versions of the i-MiEV during the upcoming Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, one a stock model the other a heavily tricked-out conversion.
(Automakers using battery power to charge up Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. Click Here for the full story.)