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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV delayed until early 2016 in US

The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid has been a noteworthy success for the Japanese brand with over 33,000 sales sold worldwide as of the summer of 2014. Unfortunately, the electrified crossover has seen continual delays for its planned North American debut. The latest news about the model pushes back its launch even more. The Outlander PHEV now isn't slated to go on sale in the US until roughly April 2016, according to Mitsubishi North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen in Automotive News. Dealers are clamoring for the plug-in hybrid crossover, though. "That is going to be a vehicle that really sets us apart from the competition," said Ryan Gremore, 2015 chairman of the Mitsubishi National Advisory Board, to AN. Multiple postponements have plagued the Outlander PHEV in arriving to the US. It was once rumored to launch here in the fall of 2014, but a battery shortage pushed the date to 2015. Subsequently, a California mandate to fit a sensor to monitor degradation of the lithium-ion batteries caused another delay until late 2015 or early 2016. In foreign markets, the Mitsubishi CUV plug-in offers a 12-kWh battery and electric driving range of about 30 miles. However once sales actually begin, the US version is supposed to be completely different with a retuned hybrid system, which could alter these figures. The styling and interior are also supposed to see a change, possibly like the attractively reskinned PHEV Concept-S from the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

The 100,000th EV sold in the US is... a Mitsubishi i-MiEV

The news here isn't that 100,000 EVs have been sold in the US, although that's quite the accomplishment. It's that the 100,000th car is a Mitsubishi i-MiEV - a car that takes nearly a full day to recharge on a standard outlet and can only travel about 62 miles per charge (according to the car's Monroney).
Jabs at the Mitsubishi aside, the fact that US dealers have moved 100,000 electric cars is made more impressive in that it's only been done since the latest generation of EVs arrived, typified by the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric and aforementioned i-MiEV. Chronologically, that means roughly the last two years. It's a number that we can only expect to climb, as EVs gain a stronger foothold among manufacturers and consumers.
Plug In America, an EV advocacy group, crunched the numbers for a contest called #PIA100K, to find the lucky buyer, who would be given a ClipperCreek Level 2 charger (which takes the i-MiEV's recharge time down to just seven hours). The winner, Rich Salmon of Grand Bay, Alabama, picked up his i-MiEV from Pete Moore Mitsubishi.

2016 Mitsubishi Outlander confirmed for New York debut

Mitsubishi is putting a lot of work into updating its lineup this year after strong sales growth in 2014. In addition to bringing the Concept GC-PHEV (pictured above) to the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, the Japanese brand is already spilling the beans about its plans for the New York Auto Show. "All of our 2016 model year vehicles will be refreshed with our new brand identity, starting with the 2016 Outlander, which will make its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in April," Mitsubishi Motors North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen said at the Chicago show. The future Outlander has already been spied testing in Europe. However, the launch of the plug-in variant has reportedly been pushed back until some time around April 2016. In the meantime, the Mitsubishi is showing the Concept GC-PHEV from an earlier Tokyo Motor Show in the Windy City. The company promises the vehicle's chunky design suggests its future design language, which is rumored to preview a future Montero. Under the hood, the GC-PHEV has a supercharged V6 and plug-in hybrid making 335 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic gearbox with power going to all four wheels. The GC-PHEV also has some sci-fi features to go with its next-gen looks, including something called the Tactical Table. While the name sounds like a high-tech way to play board games, the system lets occupants share information from a smartphone with the vehicle and other passengers. The concept includes an augmented reality windshield and collision mitigating braking, as well. Related Video: MITSUBISHI MOTORS CONCEPT GC-PHEV MAKES NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT AT THE 2015 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Futuristic, full-size crossover concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large SUV Features a powerful yet highly efficient supercharged V-6/electric motor plug-in hybrid, 8-speed automatic transmission and full-time Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive Features technology that Mitsubishi is working towards incorporating into production vehicles Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today unveiled the futuristic Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. The full-size SVU concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large vehicle.