The supply-constrained Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is sold out for this year, but the company is confident of getting substantially more stock in 2023.
It’s understood that this year’s allocation of around 400 Outlander PHEVs for Australia was snapped up inside a month, leaving many prospective buyers on a wait list.
“Our biggest issue is supply at the moment,” said Mitsubishi Motors Australia eMobility Strategy Manager Tim Clarke.
“When the MY22 was released, our allocation had sold out in the first month. We’re working hard to triple or quadruple [that] for ’23 model year,” he added, while pointing out this still wouldn’t meet expected demand.
We understand that at this stage, somewhere around 1500 to 2000 units of the recently updated Outlander PHEV should arrive here in 2023, across numerous batches.
The second-generation petrol-electric medium SUV arrived in August, offering a much better EV range than its predecessor and a more upmarket interior, matched by a higher price.
As reported already, pricing for the 2023 Outlander PHEV has increased by up to $1500, with the range now starting at $55,490 before on-road costs for the ES five-seat, and extending to $69,990 before on-road costs for the Exceed Tourer seven-seat.
While Mitsubishi says it is seeing strong demand for both the Outlander and Eclipse Cross PHEVs, this is not really reflected in the wider market.
Year-to-date PHEV sales across the total market sit at 5477 units. While this is up around 80 per cent on 2021, it compares to 28,236 EV sales and 74,704 regular hybrid sales.
On a separate note, Mitsubishi says it would like to see greater clarity around fuel consumption in these petrol-electric PHEV cars.
This means publishing more widely the fuel economy performance of a PHEV with a battery charge state of zero (displayed), as well as its economy with the battery in use.
MORE: 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review
MORE: Mitsubishi keen on more accurate PHEV fuel economy tests
