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Annoyingly, Mitsubishi Delays the U.S.-Spec Outlander PHEV Once More

There’s something definitely off at Mitsubishi Motors nowadays. Besides the notorious cheating scandal in Japan and Nissan’s buyout of a controlling stake in the troubled Japanese company, Mitsubishi Motors now comes under fire for yet another delay of the Outlander PHEV for the North American market.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 14 photos
Photo: Mitsubishi
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The saddening news comes courtesy of our friends from Hybrid Cars, which highlight that “this is at least the fifth time it’s been delayed to North America since its 2013 Japan-market launch.” What’s more side-splitting than the fifth delay is the fact that the Outlander PHEV already made its U.S. debut.

For real! The first public outing of the U.S.-spec Outlander PHEV happened in March, at the 2016 New York Auto Show. During the event, Mitsubishi Motors North America used fancy words to describe its plans for the electrified future awaiting the company, but the thing is, Mitsubishi failed to deliver and it looks like if this mess won’t change for the better anytime soon.

As if Mitsubishi didn't put enough salt on this open wound, MMNA public relations manager Alex Fedorak had the following to declare: “Following a thorough evaluation process, we have determined that, in order to meet a level of competitiveness that will exceed customer expectations in the United States, the launch of the Outlander PHEV will be delayed until the summer of 2017.” Pardon me, but by mid-2017 the Outlander PHEV will be old news.

And that’s the thing with Mitsubishi these days. Bad decisions and valueless promises do more harm than good, a big no-no for an automaker that struggles to make a case for its place in the industry. Not bringing the Outlander PHEV on time in the U.S. and Canada is an even worse decision if you bear in mind that the pluggable crossover is the best-selling PHEV over in Europe. This, then, is the perfect definition of a bad business case.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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