Photo: Mitsubishi
Although Mitsubishi ’s goal is to use the Outlander plug-in hybrid to rebrand the company as a leader in electrified drivetrains, they have decided to delay its US release of this efficient SUV. It seems that the problem is connected to their battery production over in Japan.
By delaying the vehicle’s launch to 2015, the company hopes to solve the issues at their main battery supplier, Lithium Energy Japan. By doing so, they will finally manage to land on the American automobile market, thus boosting profits and giving dealers a much needed additon to a very small lineup. Currently, the Japanese automaker only offers 6 vehicles through its US dealerships: Lancer, Lancer Sportback, Lancer Evo, Outlander Sport, Outlander and Mirage.
The company started to ramp up its battery supply but came to the conclusion that it’s still not enough to start U.S deliveries in 2014, therefore they decided on 2015. Unfortunately for them, this was not the only issue they had with the electrified crossover, a while ago a battery recall forced the company to stop producing the vehicle from March until late August.
One can see that the hybrid variant didn’t have the smoothest ride since it was revealed last January in Japan. Even so, this doesn’t mean things can’t change for the better. According to Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko, the company has established a three-year business plan and have also signed a deal with Nissan-Renault Alliance. So, we can say that they are set on making the Outlander plug-in hybrid a success.
Source: autonews.com
The company started to ramp up its battery supply but came to the conclusion that it’s still not enough to start U.S deliveries in 2014, therefore they decided on 2015. Unfortunately for them, this was not the only issue they had with the electrified crossover, a while ago a battery recall forced the company to stop producing the vehicle from March until late August.
One can see that the hybrid variant didn’t have the smoothest ride since it was revealed last January in Japan. Even so, this doesn’t mean things can’t change for the better. According to Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko, the company has established a three-year business plan and have also signed a deal with Nissan-Renault Alliance. So, we can say that they are set on making the Outlander plug-in hybrid a success.
Source: autonews.com
Google News