New Mitsubishi Outlander and Smaller SUV Confirmed For 2020 Debut

The third-generation Outlander came out nearly eight years ago and was updated a couple of times in the years that followed to remain relevant in the highly competitive compact crossover segment. If you're interested in getting one but you'd rather wait for the next iteration, Mitsubishi will be coming out with an all-new model in the second half of next year and will ride on a platform developed by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. The news was confirmed by the company's European boss, Bernard Loire, in an interview with Automotive News Europe.

Perhaps the bigger news is the launch of a smaller crossover scheduled to be revealed around the same time as the revamped Outlander. The Mitsubishi Europe CEO didn't go into any details, but he did say both models are going to be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It will be interesting how the new arrival will be positioned in the range seeing as how the company already has the Eclipse Cross. It might not be a new addition to the range as we could be dealing with the next-gen Outlander Sport that has been around for about a decade.

Speaking of which, the crossover that carries the name of a famous sports car will lose the diesel engine towards the end of next year. Mitsubishi will retire the torquey 2.2-liter mill due to poor demand as the diesel-fueled Eclipse Cross is only sold in select countries and very few are going with this engine, with Loire saying the take rate is of about 5%. It will follow the discontinuation of the diesel ASX, while the L200 pickup truck will soldier on with the diesel.

During the same interview with ANE, Mitsubishi Europe's head honcho mentioned the Space Star / Mirage still has a future despite the more stringent emissions regulations threatening small cars. Not only that, but the Japanese marque is actually planning to refresh its pint-sized vehicle in the near future. He was likely talking about the update implemented in Thailand for the 2020 Mirage and its Attrage / Mirage G4 sedan sibling.

Bernand Loire was also asked whether the i-MiEV tiny electric car is still on sale in Europe, with his answer being that it's only available in a few countries such as Switzerland and Norway. A new Mitsubishi EV is on its way, but that's also the company is willing to say for the time being.