New Mitsubishi Outlander rendered before 2021 debut

The third-generation Mitsubishi Outlander has been around for a very long time, having first met its first global debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. In that time, the SUV has undergone two facelifts – in 2015 and 2018 – and remains on sale until today.

Recently, the Japanese carmaker announced that the next-generation Outlander will be revealed in the second quarter of 2021, and we’ve already seen spyshots of prototypes just earlier this day. From what we’ve seen, the new Outlander will be a production version of the Engelberg Tourer/e-Yi Concept, so rendering wiz Theophilus Chin has rendered what it could possibly look like.

At first glance, it’s clear that the design is a bold one and significantly different from the outgoing model. The squarish and blocky exterior features many cues we’ve seen on the aforementioned concepts, including prominent creases along the door handles and lower rockers, along with a two-tone “floating roof” look.

The front of the rendered vehicle carries the evolved version of Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield face, with a dual-tier lighting arrangement that sees positioning lights placed above the main headlamps. This look has been applied on numerous models from the company, from the Triton pick-up truck to its small kei cars like the eK Wagon and eK X.

Around back, the concepts’ slim taillights flank the centre Mitsubishi badge, just above a creased section that becomes the number plate holder. Subtle “skid plates” on both bumpers and well-defined wheel arches help to give the Outlander its rugged persona.

The more recent e-Yi show car also previewed the Outlander’s updated plug-in hybrid powertrain, consisting of a larger 2.4 litre petrol engine (the current one uses a 2.0 litre unit) and an electric motor on each axle. The motors draw power from a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery (up from 12 kWh before) that provides a claimed all-electric range of more than 70 km and a total range of over 700 km with the internal combustion engine also in play.

GALLERY: 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander spyshots