Outlander: A re-engineered 2016 Outlander went on sale in July. It sports a new Dynamic Shield grille, a new continuously variable transmission, a retuned suspension and more premium interior materials. Outlander PHEV: After several delays, a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in May. Powered by a gasoline engine and a pair of electric motors, the all-wheel-drive Outlander PHEV is billed as traveling more than 30 miles on a charge in EV mode. It has some noticeable trim differences from the gasoline-fueled Outlander, including a unique dashboard and instrument cluster. Outlander Sport: Mitsubishi is scheduled to give the Outlander Sport a face-lift in November for the 2016 model year, with the new model built in Japan rather than in Illinois. Like the three-row Outlander, the two-row Outlander Sport will get new front and rear fascias and a plusher interior. Mitsubishi is planning a global debut in 2016 for the next-generation Outlander Sport, which is sold as the RVR in Japan and as the ASX in most other world markets. A plug-in hybrid version would follow in 2017. It is unclear when these models would arrive in U.S. showrooms. Montero: Mitsubishi showed the GC-PHEV concept at the 2014 Geneva auto show and 2015 Chicago Auto Show as a glimpse at the next-generation Montero. It is to go on sale in 2018 with a choice of plug-in hybrid and gasoline powertrains. U.S. executives want to bring back the rugged SUV, which was pulled from the U.S. in 2006, but its platform would need to be widened to satisfy U.S. rollover standards, at a cost of about $50 million. Considering the costs and the Montero's rich heritage, this decision will be a key test of Mitsubishi's commitment to the U.S. i-MiEV: Mitsubishi sold a paltry 196 units of its egg-shaped electric vehicle in the U.S. in 2014, down from 1,029 a year earlier. But the company isn't giving up on the i-MiEV yet; it's offering a 2016 model after skipping the 2015 model year. The future of the electric minicar is unclear, but it isn't a very high priority.
The Volvo Outlander Plug-In Hybrid has been on sale in Japan and Europe for months now, but its US launch has been delayed repeatedly. Indeed it has taken so long that the model has actually undergone a mid-cycle refresh during the time it has taken Volvo to schedule the car for US distribution. Now a report in Automotive News confirms that the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid won't appear in American showrooms until May, well after the launch of a spate of other plug-in SUVs from luxury carmakers such as the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, Mitsubishi XC90, and possibly the Audi Q7 as well.