Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid: Van Model For Europe, But Still A Year Away For U.S.Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid: Van Model For Europe, But Still A Year Away For U.S.

American buyers are still enduring what seems like an interminable wait for the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid.
Over in Europe however the plug-in crossover has been on sale for a few months now–and Mitsubishi is adding another variant to the range.
Unusually, reports Motoring Research, it’s a van–though not in the traditional sense of a purpose-built goods-hauler.
Instead, it’s one of several vehicles in Mitsubishi’s range targeted directly at business users.
To meet the necessary definitions of a van, Mitsubishi has removed the rear seats, put blanking panels over the rear windows and covered the rear loadspace in a tough rubber coating.
This might seem pointless when drivers could simply fold down the rear seats when they need them and use the Outlander as a car the rest of the time, but there’s one major advantage for taking the more extreme route: money.
For a start, the UK’s plug-in van grant is larger than that of its plug-in car grant–up to £8,000 ($13,300) or 20% of the vehicle’s value.
ALSO READ: Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid: Quick Drive
The Outlander PHEV ‘4work’, as the van variant is known, would ordinarily cost £36,905 (about $61,200 at current exchange rates). But with the grant, that price drops down to £29,524, or under $49,000–a saving of over $12,000.
Then there’s taxes. In the UK, where the van is going on sale, all cars are subject to a 20 percent purchase tax known as VAT, or ‘Value Added Tax’.
Drivers of vehicles designed for commercial use though–pickups, panel vans or van-based cars like the Outlander PHEV van–can reclaim that VAT on a vehicle used exclusively for business use. That means business users could save even more.
And that’s before you take into account the benefits of running a vehicle that does, in European testing, over 30 miles on electric power.
The reality is likely to be a little less than that but it does mean drivers with around-town duties may not use much fuel at all.
They’ll also have a vehicle that’s relaxing to drive, has a punchy drivetrain and comes with the same benefits as the car on which it’s based–alloy wheels, cruise control, and electronic all-wheel drive for bad weather.
Unfortunately for U.S. buyers, getting your hands on a Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in of any sort–let alone a van–is still a year away.
_________________________________________
Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

View original article at:  “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1094046_mitsubishi-outlander-plug-in-hybrid-van-model-for-europe-but-still-a-year-away-for-u-s”