Mitsubishi has not seen much of a success in India. The sales were so poor that the company stopped selling its sedans in the country. All the sedans were dropped off from its line-up a few months back. The company is now focusing only on SUV’s which is a speedily rising segment in India. Mitsubishi has the Pajero Sport and Montero in its SUV line up in the country. Now it has been revealed that the Outlander will soon join this line up. The company terminated Outlander as there was no diesel variant available. Almost all the manufacturers have diesel versions in their line up as they are very popular in India. But now Mitsubishi will be bringing back the Outlander with the help of its Indian partner, Hindustan Motors.
It has been revealed that the Hindustan motors will bring the Mitsubishi Outlander’s diesel version next year. The Outlander which did not succeed in the Indian market was a 2nd gen model although the company was already selling the 3rd gen model in the other markets. The new Outlander was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. This 3rd gen car is bigger in size and is available both as 5-seater as well 7-seater versions. The new Outlander is also offering 2 engine options of petrol and a turbocharged diesel engine.
It is expected that this turbo charged diesel variant will be launched in India by Hindustan Motors. The engine will the same with 2.2 liter fuel capacity offering a maximum power output of 147 bhp and a peak torque of 380 Nm. The car will offer a 6 speed manual as well as automatic transmission. We still do not know about the transmission that the Indian Outlander will offer. The Outlander also has a choice between an all wheel drive system and a 2 wheel drive system. Other than the new diesel engine, the new Outlander will also enjoy some new features.
Another prominent reason that led to the failure of Outlander in the country was its steep pricing. The car was brought into the nation via the CBU route and therefore was priced heavily. There are many other cars offering similar performance but priced more competitively. So it is expected that the company might go for a different route this time to cut down on the costs. With the help of HM, Mitsubishi might assemble the new Outlander through the CKD units. If this happens then the assembly will take place at HM’s manufacturing facility in Tiruvallur around Chennai.
COO of Hindustan Motors, Mr. P Vijayan, while briefing about the company’s future prospects said that “The company is working on the new model of the diesel version and will launch it in early 2014. It will be a more rejuvenated model and will be placed in the UV 4 segment (premium). As Mitsubishi’s partner in India, we want to focus only on the utility vehicle segment and one can see more variants/models of Mitsubishi Pajero and Outlander going forward in India.
The company’s only successful car, Pajero Sport is a off roader and it is expected that the new Outlander will be an equally great soft roader. The company will be focusing on the corporate officials, urban professionals as well as celebrities, with its new Outlander.