Mitsubishi India on revival mission; to re-launch Outlander SUV soon

Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi had entered the Indian market by joining hands with Hindustan Motors in 1998. The Lancer sedan became one of the most successful cars in India in the next decade. However, as time passed by, their sales went down due to the launch of wrong models of cars and choice of engines.

Also read: Renault-Nissan Alliance may assist Mitsubishi to launch new models in India

Mitsubishi India launched Pajero Sport in 2012 and that was the only model of the company for the past three-four years. However, the company hinted at a revival plan last year with the re-launch of the Montero SUV in November. Another SUV model set for re-launch in India is Outlander.

Mitsubishi India is yet to make an announcement on the re-launch of Outlander, but some of the dealerships have started accepting bookings, reports Autocar India. Deliveries are likely to commence from September and dealers are quoting an ex-showroom price of around Rs 29 lakh. The crossover SUV will come to India in CBU line just like the Montero SUV.

Outlander is currently in its third generation and had received an update in 2015 in line with the company's new design language. The large chrome overdosed grille is called Dynamic Shield and gives a pronouncing stance for the SUV.

The headlights are LED projector units with separate LED daytime running strip. Mild cladding around the base, silver strip on the bottom of the doors and 18-inch alloy wheels are the attractions at sides.

The rear is a simple affair with boxy tailgate and subtle chrome accents surrounding at horizontally-positioned LED tail-lamps.

The India-spec model is expected to be powered by petrol engine only. The 2.4-litre, four-cylinder mill is expected to delivers 169hp and 225Nm of torque mated to a six-speed CVT gearbox. The new Outlander will also get Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) AWD system.

Mitsubishi India previously sold second-generation of the Outlander from 2008 with a facelift version in 2010. Outlander being a petrol-only model was sidelined when the interest increased for diesel SUVs. The company eventually pulled the plug on Outlander along with many other models.