THE FUTURE IS NOW
Five years ago I could not have predicted how much I would personally enjoy driving a plug-in electric vehicle. Your new normal of “fuelling-up” becomes plugging in from the convenience of your home. Turning on a vehicle that barely makes a whisper changes how you face the day. Perhaps you’ll be more in tune with how you interact with the world. I know I am.
I drive about 50 kilometres a day to work, mostly busy highway driving, in my plug-in hybrid Outlander PHEV (plug-in hybrid electrified vehicle) and while some days are better than others, I can average a fuel economy of 2.9 litres/100 km — much lower than the posted Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) rating. I’ve also learned how to be an efficient electric vehicle (EV) driver and improve daily with driver selectable modes, regenerative braking and easing up on the accelerator pedal. As soon as I walk through the door, I talk about my fuel economy for the day. I can’t help it.
I’m one of the nearly 4,000 proud Outlander PHEV owners that have made this vehicle the top plug-in hybrid model in Canada. We account for one in four plug-in hybrid purchases in the country. We are ambassadors of the vehicle: talking about our fuel economy, explaining the vehicle’s numerous benefits to neighbours, and even lending our Outlander PHEVs to friends for test drives. We’re proud to be in it because it’s our first electrified vehicle.
Our research tells us that 94 per cent of Outlander PHEV owners were previously in a gas-only vehicle, with 47 per cent driving a gasonly SUV. We believe that many of our Outlander PHEV customers would not have purchased an EV had it not been for the introduction of this vehicle, considering 42 per cent of Outlander PHEV customers did not consider any other vehicle.
Thousands of Canadians will be plugging in at home, at work, and in the community or even installing a Level 2 charger in their garage for the first time because of the Outlander PHEV. I bet that it will be the first of many EVs in their future.
At Mitsubishi Motors, we use game-changing to describe the Outlander PHEV. It’s not marketing jargon. It’s reality. Outlander PHEV is the first affordable SUV on the market that does not compromise on SUV utility and includes four-wheel-drive capability in 100 per cent electric mode and quick-charging for an 80 per cent battery charge in about 25 minutes. In an SUV-dominated market that shows no signs of slowing down, Outlander PHEV has the potential to disrupt the industry.
We have also simplified purchasing an electric vehicle from ensuring availability at dealerships to assurances that you are covered by the best warranty in the world for your powertrain and your drive battery.
To me this is the very definition of game-changer.
AUTOMOTIVE OUTLOOK 2019
As we look at the automotive outlook for 2019 and beyond, we must first start with electrified technology. Mitsubishi Motors will have an electrified alternative for each core model in our lineup from 2020. Our position on EV is not if it will take off, it’s when. In 15 years, EVs will be commonplace and Outlander PHEV will help make that new world a reality.
Today, we still have work to do in building awareness. We need to better enable Canadians to differentiate between hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric as their differences are meaningful.
In the past year, we have invested more in promoting and marketing Outlander PHEV than any other vehicle in our history — gas or electric. We have hosted free education events across the country and introduced exciting technology in our dealerships to make EV technology more accessible. We will continue to look for ways to educate consumers because we believe in this technology.
Outlander PHEV anchors a full lineup of sport utilities at Mitsubishi Motors in Canada. This year, we added to our SUV lineup by introducing the Eclipse Cross which showcases the best of our technology from infotainment to driving dynamics. Mitsubishi RVR and Outlander round out the lineup and they will continue to evolve as we meet the needs of Canadians in the future.
SUV, technology and Super AllWheel Control underpin our new “Drive Your Ambition” brand. It defines our value proposition in the marketplace. As we build awareness of our brand, we’ll grow our position here in Canada.
Our dealerships are also changing, inside and out. We have brought to life Drive Your Ambition in our retail footprint. A new global image will punch up our visibility in current and new locations coming in the year ahead. We’ve developed new tools and training programs for our staff so that they are your trusted advisers on the sales floor and in service.
LOOKING FARTHER AHEAD
Mitsubishi Motors continues to realize synergies with the RenaultNissan-Mitsubishi Alliance and, in the near future, we’ll see our vehicles built on shared platforms with shared technologies. We are excited by the value and advantage that the alliance brings to our business and our future here in Canada. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is the global leader in electrified vehicles and we look forward to contributing our substantial EV and PHEV knowledge to the group.
We are moving our business to where our strengths lie. But to say a new Mitsubishi Motors will emerge is not entirely accurate. We’re taking our 50 years of EV knowledge, 80 years of SUV engineering and world-class Super AllWheel Control to the next level.
For Mitsubishi Motors, the future is now.