Mitsubishi line-up is getting ready for a big growth spurt. The automaker today confirmed it will introduce an “all-new…off-road-focused” version of its Outlander SUV, on top of the all-electric utility vehicle it previously confirmed will arrive next summer. Headlight.News has more.
The new model will be an off-road variant of the Outlander SUV.
Mitsubishi is getting ready to nearly double its modest line-up, the automaker on Tuesday announcing plans to launch an all-new “rugged variant” of its familiar Outlander SUV late next year.
That move will come just a few months after the Japanese brand adds its first long-range battery-electric vehicle to the North American line-up.
Today’s announcement confirms the second addition to the lineup will be an off-road-focused vehicle that reinforces the brand’s storied history in off-road and off-highway travel,” the automaker said in a statement.
Growing line-up
In May, Mitsubishi teased the upcoming debut of its first EV since 2017.
Currently, Mitsubishi has a meager line-up consisting of just the Outlander PHEV, the Outlander Sport and the Eclipse Cross. That’s about the get a big boost.
Back in May of this year, Mitsubishi announced plans to add an all-electric model for the North American market in the summer of 2026. It will be the first EV in the Japanese marque’s U.S. showrooms since Mitsubishi pulled the plug on the inexpensive, albeit limited-range, iMiEV back in 2017. Specific details have yet to be revealed but it’s expected the new EV will offer well over 200 miles of range.
As for the new SUV, it will be an “off-road-focused” model, the automaker said in a statement that noted, “MMNA recently debuted a Trail Edition package on Outlander, and this new model will build upon the graphic features on that vehicle by adding off-road-specific bodywork, off-road-focused drive modes and performance upgrades, and unique interior styling “
Mitsubishi isn’t providing specific powertrain details, so it’s unclear if it will offer a plug-in hybrid package, like the one available in today’s Outlander. But the vehicle will feature the Super-All Wheel Control, or S-AWC, system which, the company noted, was developed through its involvement in the Dakar Rally and other off-road racing programs.
Momentum 2030
Mitsubishi plans to introduce a new or “significantly revised” vehicle each year between 2026 and 2030.
The new SUV is set to launch late in the 2026 fiscal year, noted Mitsubishi, which runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
It is the latest step in the Momentum 2030 turnaround plan which aims to not only expand Mitsubishi’s product line-up but stabilize its U.S. dealer network. The company has been struggling for more than a decade due to a series of financial and marketing blunders that led to it’s current tie-up with Nissan, another struggling Japanese automaker.
“When we announced our Momentum 2030 plan publicly, we set ambitious goals for ourselves,” said Mark Chaffin, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America. “The plan is underway right now, with the new 2025 Outlander already on sale, with an updated Outlander Plug-in Hybrid coming soon, the debut of a new mild-hybrid powertrain in the 2026 Outlander and with today’s announcements of two more all-new vehicles coming in fiscal year 2026. This is just the beginning, with more new vehicles and more news coming.”
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