Mitsubishi is a brand that, in general, gives zero fucks, which confuses auto journalists, who respond by lobbing insults. But in reality, Mitsubishi sales have increased for seven straight years in North America. And today Mitsu announced the fourth-generation Outlander, the first new Outlander in almost a decade.
The 2022 Outlander will appear in the second quarter of next year, Mitsubishi said in a release. This will be the long-awaited fourth-generation, slated to appear a little over nine years since the current generation. The third-generation Outlander was first introduced all the way back at Geneva in 2012, though it has been given a couple of facelifts since then.
Mitsu didn’t provide many details, but here’s what it said in its release:
The all-new next generation Outlander will be bigger, bolder and better than ever before, and will be the quietest and best-equipped Mitsubishi ever sold in the U.S. Completely redesigned and reimagined in every way, the new Outlander will incorporate the latest Mitsubishi design language, with a bold, aggressive, and distinctive appearance. Loaded with technology and significant interior refinements, this game-changing vehicle will surprise many.
This is marketing language of course, so this could all be hogwash, but even so, that is some pretty big talk for a company that really hasn’t done a whole lot except the Eclipse Cross ever since the third-gen Outlander came out here.
Mitsubishi made the announcement amid a slew of other announcements. The 2021 Mirage, for example, gets a redesigned exterior and looks like this:
The Outlander Sport, meanwhile, will pretty much carry over into 2021, while the Eclipse Cross will look a little different in the front and rear as part of an effort to introduce a new design language, which is probably previewed by the new Mirage above.
A new Outlander plug-in electric hybrid, set to go on sale this fall, will get a new powertrain.
The updated internal combustion engine has increased displacement and greater horsepower, and the larger and more refined electric drive system offers more all-electric range and speed of operation.
No other details were released, but today’s announcements feel almost like a victory lap for Mitsu.