![\"Mitsubishi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/outlander-sport-hev-unveiling-2.jpg\")
\nOutlander Sport is a compact SUV, fitting well below the full-size Outlander.<\/p>\n
But incredibly, it’s never offered a non-plug-in hybrid (hybrid electrified vehicle, or HEV). That will change later this year when it introduces the Outlander Sport in the third quarter of this year.<\/p>\n
Not to be confused with the current Outlander, the Sport is a smaller compact SUV that’s just 4340mm in length. The most obvious rival for the new model is the\u00a0Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
MMNZ chief operating officer Tony Johnston says the impending launch reflects both changing customer priorities and a broader transition within the market:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re seeing more and more NZers looking at electrified options, but not everyone is ready to make the jump to plug-in or fully electric vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cOutlander Sport HEV gives customers a highly efficient, practical SUV that delivers the benefits of electrification in a way that fits seamlessly into everyday life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Outlander Sport has been available in other markets since 2023, where it is also known as the Mitsubishi XForce. It has clocked up 62,000 sales in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n Mitsubishi Outlander Sport hybrid powertrain<\/p>\n The powertrain is based around a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a hybrid system offering multiple modes: EV, hybrd and Engine Drive. They operate automatically, with the car designed to maximise the electric aspect, says Mitsubishi.<\/p>\n However, there are also selectable operating modes including Normal, Wet, Gravel and Mud.<\/p>\n There’s a single example of the Outlander Sport in NZ, which was shown to dealers at the brand’s Diamond Dealer awards on May 8. It will also go on display at Fieldays, Mystery Creek, from June 10-13.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n More new Mitsubishis, including a budget EV<\/p>\n Mitsubishi NZ says 2026 will mark a “product wave” for Kiwi consumers, with a BEV and another “key model” arriving.<\/p>\n The BEV is understood to be a rebadged version of the Model B from Taiwanese company Foxtron, which the Japanese brand sees as its best bet to stave off competition from budget-priced Chinese BEVs like the BYD Atto 2<\/a>, Jaecoo J5<\/a> and MG4 Urban<\/a>… to name but a few of many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Outlander Sport will be launched in the third quarter of 2026. Full-hybrid powertrain includes multiple drive modes. Battery…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[11357,138,39684,14426,9476,45702,111,43,139,69,217715,39685,17620],"class_list":["post-424492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-budget","tag-business","tag-compact-suv","tag-hev","tag-hybrid","tag-mitsubishi","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-outlander-sport","tag-small-suv","tag-suv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n![\"Mitsubishi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/outlander-sport-hev-unveiling-3.jpg\")
\nMitsubishi NZ is promising a good technology package.<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\n![\"Foxtron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pininfarina-foxtron_model_b_concept-2022-1280-a2130a2713fe05293ce9350380d450fb33.jpg\")
\nThis will likely be your new Mitsubishi EV: the Foxtron Model B from Taiwan.<\/p>\n