It’s a big hit here, and the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in SUV has just got better

Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid is a big success. To quantify that, this one vehicle takes 50% of all sales in the EV and PHEV sector in the UK. In those sectors it’s the biggest seller in both the UK and Europe. Sales in the UK to June 2015 were 7255 units, which is more than double the sales of Nissan’s Leaf. That’s a success.

Part of it is down to the fact that it is the only petrol-electric hybrid SUV on the market. That means it also gets the £5000 government grant so the price to the consumer is about the same as that of the diesel version. But the emissions mean it has a BIK tax rate of only 5%, which makes for an attractive company vehicle.

And it’s all been upgraded. This is a market where Mitsubishi has gained an early advantage and it intends to hammer that advantage home. The idea is to make this latest version more European. Certainly the front end has a more dynamic appearance, while the bumpers, which have added 40mm to the length, help make the Outlander look lower and more purposeful.

Read more: Birmingham Mail