Mitsubishi has been selling cars in America for 40 years, and it’s celebrating the occasion. The automaker announced today the Outlander 40th Anniversary Edition, giving one of the brand’s most popular models a revised look for the party.
Inside, Mitsubishi gives the special-edition Outlander the same black-and-tan door inserts found in the top-tier SEL Premium Package models. It also receives the pack’s black headliner and semi-aniline leather-appointed seat surfaces. Other standard features include a panoramic sunroof, a 10.8-inch head-up display, center console illumination, and a Bose sound system.
Gallery: 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: First Drive
Mitsubishi will finish each example in a unique two-tone black-and-bronze color scheme. The automaker will also install 40th-anniversary badges to denote its special status.
Every Outlander 40th Anniversary Edition comes with Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel-drive system. Customers can get the special-edition SUV as the standard Outlander or the plug-in hybrid version.
Mitsubishi gave the Outlander a radical redesign for the 2022 model year, which the model sorely needed for the aging model. It received a new, brutish exterior design and a revamped cabin packed with modern technology. The gas version packs a 181-horsepower (135-kilowatt) 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The PHEV pairs a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors to make 248 hp (184 kW), offering up to 38 miles of pure electric range.
Mark Chaffin, Mitsubishi Motors North America’s president and CEO said that the anniversary edition models celebrate the brand’s heritage and are “a powerful step forward into our next 40 years of success in the US.”
Mitsubishi began selling vehicles in the US under its own name in 1981. However, it had been selling them through the Chrysler Corporation as rebadged Dodge and Plymouth models before then. The automaker established its headquarters in Fountain, California, and sold vehicles through just 70 initial dealers. The automaker would eventually move to Cypress, California, before packing up for Franklin, Tennessee, in 2019. Before its cross-country move, the automaker had sold nearly 5.5 million vehicles through almost 330 dealers.
The Outlander 40th Anniversary Edition starts at $41,340, while the Outlander PHEV variant commands $51,340 (prices include the $1,345 destination charge).