The regular petrol-powered variants Mitsubishi Outlander has been discontinued in Japan, according to Mitsubishi Motors' Japanese website. Only the Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) remains on sale there.

While it may seem like a surprise to some, this is in line with the carmaker's 'Small but Beautiful' three-year mid-term business plan (from 2020 to 2022) that focuses on strengthening the brand's eco-friendly model lineup of PHEVs and EVs, among others.

Also, this means that an all-new Outlander will be out sometime in 2021.

Okay, but what does it mean for ASEAN?

Part of this 'Small but Beautiful' plan is strengthening Mitsubishi's presence in ASEAN to around 11.4%, and one of the cogs in that plan is producing the Outlander PHEV at its Chonburi, Thailand plant in 2021. The car will be sold there, but how soon it'll come to Malaysia is yet to be seen.

Other ways that Mitsubishi aims to achieve its goals is by strengthening its dealer network around the region and by ramping up sales numbers for the Mitsubishi Xpander, which was just launched in Malaysia last week.

I'm still looking for an Outlander, do you have a review?

Oh yes, we have taken it for a spin just a month ago. It's getting on a bit - especially in safety systems - but it's still a nimble SUV that drives like a sedan. Read our review here!