CarBrandLogos archive · Mitsubishi · 2001
An unremarkable crossover that became Europe's best-selling plug-in hybrid.
Discover the storyPhoto: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Mitsubishi Outlander, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
The first Outlander, sold from 2001 and known as the Airtrek in Japan, was an unremarkable compact crossover in a segment that was about to become the only one that mattered. What made the nameplate significant came eleven years later.
2001 Mitsubishi Airtrek 01 · Mytho88 · CC BY-SA 3.0
02
The 2013 Outlander PHEV was among the first plug-in hybrid SUVs sold anywhere, and for several years it was the best-selling plug-in vehicle in Europe. It used two electric motors, one per axle, so four-wheel drive came without a propshaft, with the petrol engine acting as a generator at low speeds and driving the wheels directly when cruising. Company car tax rules in Britain and the Netherlands did the rest, and Mitsubishi sold enormous numbers.
2008 Mitsubishi Outlander LS wagon 01 · OSX · Public domain
03
The current generation, launched in 2021, is built on the platform it shares with the Nissan Rogue under the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Mitsubishi's plug-in hybrid engineering survived the merge intact, and the PHEV remains the model the company leans on hardest.
2008 Mitsubishi Outlander LS wagon 02 · OSX · Public domain
At a glance
Produced
2001–presentBody
5-door SUVTechnical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the Mitsubishi Outlander's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →From the journal
Mitsubishi · 1917Mitsubishi Model A
Mitsubishi · 1960Mitsubishi 500
Mitsubishi · 1969Mitsubishi Galant
Mitsubishi · 1973Mitsubishi LancerContemporaries from the 2000s
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