Mitsubishi Outlander Sport PHEV to Arrive in US in 2013

Mitsubishi is heavily committed to developing plug-in hybrid vehicles at the moment, and one unwanted side-effect would be the arrival of an Evo XI that you’d have to plug into the wall. However, there are some appealing cars coming as well, among them a PHEV version of the ASX that has been rumored for a while, and now a similarly powered Outlander.

Yes indeed folks, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show Outlander Sport plug-in hybrid will make its way to market and will arrive in North America by 2013. The electrified powertrain will reportedly combine the 1.6-liter gasoline engine with the all-important hybrid hardware comprising o lithium-ion battery pack, as reported by Ward’s Auto.

If the rumors prove to be true, and the Outlander Sport plug-in hybrid does arrive in the United States by 2013, it’ll be Mitsubishi’s second electrified offering with the 2012 i-MiEV (or i, as it’s know in the States) hatchback already on sale.

After that, the Japanese carmaker says it will have a total of six additional electric vehicles before the end of 2015, including a minicab MiEV. Furthermore, Mitsubishi anticipates that its global production of plug-in vehicles will soar to 27,000 units per year by 2015.

"Every new car we develop will also be able to be driven by electricity," Helmut Bauer, Mitsubishi's German spokesman stated last year. This idea should be beneficially for the company's development costs. If Mitsubishi can get an easy drop-in EV drivetrain, it would be a nice option to have on any car.