The new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will offer customers the choice of diesel or plug-in hybrid SUVs for the same price.
The petrol plug-in hybrid model, launched this month in the UK, qualifies for the £5,000 plug-in car grant, and taking this into account will be priced at the same level as the Outlander diesel.
The entry level plug-in model, the Outlander GX3h, has a P11D value of £33,249. With the £5,000 grant the transaction price drops to £28,249 - the same as the P11D value of the Outlander 2.2 DI-D auto GX3.
There are two other Outlander PHEV variants, GX4h priced at £32,899 and GX4hs which is £34,999 (after the grant). Both are £1,000 more than their diesel equivalents but include a smartphone app and heating and cooling timers as extra specification.
The Outlander PHEV uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine plus two electric motors. It can travel up to 32.5 miles on its plug-in charge, after which it behaves as a conventional full hybrid. It has full-time four-wheel drive driven either by the electric motors or the engine.
With CO2 emissions of 44g/km it attracts a BIK tax level of 5% in 2014/15. Diesel SUV rivals have BIK tax between 22% and 32%.
The Outlander PHEV is a five-seater, unlike diesel variants, but offers a minimum of 463 litres in luggage space compared with the diesel's 477 litres.
Its maximum towing capacity is reduced slightly from the diesel's 2,000kg to 1,500kg, although still competitive with other models in the class.
Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi in the UK, believes the car is a "game changer" and will allow customers to choose a plug-in hybrid without compromising the car's practicality or paying a significant premium.
"Having the first SUV plug-in hybrid in the UK market that has no premium over its diesel equivalent, has 4x4 capability with an EV range of 32.5 miles, can achieve 148mpg under the right circumstances and has emissions as low as 44g/km, puts Mitsubishi at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.
"This vehicle is extraordinary and very different to other hybrids in the market and we are delighted that the range starts from £28,249 but the vehicle has also met the high levels of criteria required to qualify for the government plug-in car grant. With such low CO2 from 44g/km the Outlander PHEV also benefits from zero vehicle excise duty.
"And if you are a company car driver, the BIK is just 5%, which is a virtual pay-rise of hundreds of pounds per year . Therefore, it will appeal to a wide cross section of private individual and business users, with its exciting combination of innovation, style and technology. It truly is a car without compromise."
DabidMG - 01/04/2014 13:52
This really is a serious movement in the right direction making PHEVs affordable and incentivised. I just hope that most company car drivers (given the choice) will now go for mpg rather than mph. As for non-company-car drivers like myself this Mitsubishi has a very necessary much improved EV range as compared to my PHEV Prius - 32 miles instead of 15.