New Mitsubishi Outlander previewed ahead of brand's Europe exit

New SUV, destined for North and South America, will be inspired by bold Engleberg Tourer concept

The next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander will draw heavy styling influence from last year's striking Engleberg Tourer concept – but we won't see it in UK dealerships. 

As shown in an official preview image released by the brand, the Toyota RAV4 rival will sport Mitsubishi's new chrome-heavy Dynamic Shield front end with slim LED headlights and sizeable air intakes, plus a wraparound-effect front windscreen. 

Behind the A-pillars, the SUV looks to have evolved more subtly over today's car, with visible differences limited to chrome door handles, a more pronounced swage line and reshaped brake lights. 

Visually linking the production car to the Engleberg Tourer concept suggests that Mitsubishi will incorporate some of the latter's innovative powertrain technology. The show car used a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, twin electric motors and a 20kWh battery for four-wheel-drive and an electric-only range of 44 miles. 

With a full fuel tank and a fully charged battery, Mitsubishi said the Tourer - a suffix that hints at its potential focus on long-distance refinement - was capable of travelling 435 miles in a single go. 

The new Outlander will be launched in February 2021 in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, but Mitsubishi has frozen all imports to Europe as part of a wider cost-cutting strategy in which it will refocus its efforts on the more profitable South East Asia market.

In its current form, the Outlander PHEV is one of Europe's best-selling plug-in hybrids and consistently tops the plug-in SUV sales charts in the UK, where Mitsubishi has sold 3167 cars since January. 

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