Next Mitsubishi Outlander tipped for 2028 with four-motor PHEV tech
Words: Kyle Cassidy
Mitsubishi’s next Outlander could arrive in 2028, with a Japanese report pointing to a fresh design and a possible four-motor plug-in hybrid powertrain.
According to Response, as reported by Carscoops, the replacement could draw inspiration from Mitsubishi’s Elevance Concept, pictured below. Neither the proposed launch date nor the production powertrain has been confirmed at this point however.
The current Outlander generation debuted in 2021, making a 2028 replacement a seven-year model cycle. The proposed newcomer would build on Mitsubishi’s established plug-in hybrid technology, potentially adding more sophisticated control over how power reaches each wheel.
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Four motors could sharpen the drive
The Elevance Concept, unveiled at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, offers a glimpse of what Mitsubishi is developing.
Its plug-in hybrid system combines a petrol engine compatible with carbon-neutral fuels and a large traction battery. More unusually, it features four electric motors: in-wheel units at the front and a dual-motor arrangement at the rear.
These work with Mitsubishi’s Super-All Wheel Control, or S-AWC, including rear Active Yaw Control to help manage the vehicle’s cornering behaviour. Mitsubishi says the concept’s system is designed to improve stability and control across urban driving and off-road use.
Whether that complete arrangement reaches the next Outlander remains uncertain. The report raises four-motor drive as a possibility, rather than an agreed production specification. Battery capacity, electric range and power outputs have yet to be confirmed.
