With Mitsubishi Motors planning to strngthen its electrification strategy in ASEAN, the groundwork has been laid out with the production of the newly-launched Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in Thailand.
The Outlander PHEV was unveiled to the public at the 37th Thailand International Motor Expo (TIME) earlier this month and came in two trim levels, the GT and the GT Premium. The Thai production of the Outlander PHEV signifies the Japanese company’s support for Thailand’s electrification efforts.
Mitsubishi Motors has invested over THB 3 billion (RM 400 million) at the Laem Chabang plant which is Mitsubishi’s first PHEV production plant outside Japan.
Mr Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) said the company chose Thailand as the location for its new PHEV hub in ASEAN as a sign of confidence in the country’s potential for domestic growth.
The Thai Minister of Industry, Mr. Suriya Jungrungreangkit added that the country aims to increase electrified vehicles production to 30% of the total car production in Thailand in the next 10 years.
Besides, Thailand is also seen as MMC’s main production and export hub. The three diamonds brand had achieved the 5-million-unit production milestone in the country in 2018. In 2019, Mitsubishi was ranked No. 1 among car exporters in the land of smiles.
In Thailand, the Outlander PHEV is also the sole variant of the Outlander as the petrol variant had been phased out years ago.
The Thai-spec Outlander PHEV comes with an electric motor on each axle with the front motor making 82 PS and 137 Nm while the rear motor produces 95 PS and 195 Nm. Combined with a 13.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, the SUV has an all-electric range of 55km.
Under the hood, there is a 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that makes 128 PS and 199 Nm.
The Outlander PHEV is also well equipped with the range-topping GT Premium available with ADAS features including AEB, ACC, and BSM. These aren’t available in the local-spec Outlander.
As for the Malaysian market, we might not expect the Outlander PHEV to make its way here. Due to a tax structure that penalises imported cars, unless the Outlander PHEV is locally assembled like its petrol variants, then the SUV will be pretty expensive over here.