Mitsubishi PHEV sets sales record

Mitsubishi claims an increasing number of Kiwi consumers are looking to switch from traditional internal combustion engines to electric alternatives after seeing a surge in demand for its Outlander PHEV.

Just six months after its release, the marque’s 20MY Outlander PHEV has surpassed the range’s previous monthly sales record for a plug-in hybrid vehicle by 15 per cent.

With 75 units sold in February 2020, PHEV sales made up 25 per cent of all Outlander sales and beat its previous high, which was reached in February last year.

Reece Congdon, head of marketing and corporate affairs for Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand, says the result can be attributed to an increasing share of household incomes being spent on petrol, an expanding national network of charging stations and an increased interest in electric vehicles.

“More and more Kiwis are considering the switch and, when they start to look into the options available, they realise a PHEV SUV offers them the best of both worlds – an EV-only option for around town and a combined range of over 600km with a towing capacity of 1,500kg for family road trips,” he adds.