Mitsubishi Outlander History
Mitsubishi's mainstream compact crossover — and home to the world's first mass-market plug-in hybrid SUV, the Outlander PHEV.
Photo: “2013 Mitsubishi Outlander (ZJ MY14) ES 2WD wagon (2014-12-26).jpg” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The Outlander arrived in North America for the 2003 model year as a compact crossover, replacing the Montero Sport and bringing a more car-based approach to the segment. Originally sold under the Airtrek name in Japan, the global Outlander name was unified for the second generation (2007).
Mitsubishi launched the Outlander PHEV in Japan in January 2013 — the world's first plug-in hybrid SUV — with sales reaching 42,400 globally by 2015; the PHEV arrived in the US market for the 2023 model year after a lengthy gap. The fourth generation (US 2022 model year) is built on the Renault-Nissan CMF-CD platform shared with the Nissan Rogue and X-Trail, reflecting the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Generations
First generation · CU2W/CU4W
US debut — compact crossover replacing the Montero Sport; originally Airtrek in Japan.
Second generation · CW
Global Outlander name unified; grew in size and offered an available seven-passenger layout.
Third generation · GF/GG
Photo: “2013 Mitsubishi Outlander (ZJ MY14) ES 2WD wagon (2014-12-26).jpg” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Introduced the landmark Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid (Japan 2013; reached the US as a 2018 model year, arriving December 2017).
2014 Photo: “2014 Mitsubishi Outlander SE, front left, 09-28-2024.jpg” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2015 Photo: “2015 Mitsubishi Outlander ES, front right, 06-15-2025.jpg” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2017 Photo: “2017 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 MIVEC front.jpg” by LuvsMG481 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2018 Photo: “2018 Mitsubishi Outlander (ZL) ES 4WD wagon (2018-08-20) 01.jpg” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2020 Photo: “2020 Mitsubishi Outlander ES front.jpg” by LuvsMG481 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fourth generation · ZM
Alliance-era Outlander on the Nissan Rogue CMF-CD platform; PHEV offered from 2023 in the US.
Body styles
- 4-door SUV
Notable special editions & performance variants
Outlander PHEV
Plug-in hybrid variant in the US from 2023; a global pioneer — the world's first mass-market PHEV SUV (Japan, 2013).
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Mitsubishi Outlander
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.