Debuted in regionally-adapted specification at the New York International Auto Show, it’s arriving three years after originally planned, delayed by stronger-than-predicted demand in Japan and Europe, and closely follows its introduction in Australia.

North American versions are ostensibly the same as the car available worldwide – the updated Outlander was revealed in New York last year. However, it’s the first time Mitsubishi has offered the Outlander PHEV without a CHAdeMo port for DC rapid charging – it’s blanked off.

A spokesperson for Mitsubishi in the UK said this was due to the lack of suitable infrastructure in the United States, and there are no plans to delete this from British-market cars as the network is much larger here. The Outlander PHEV is, at present, the only plug-in hybrid capable of rapid charging.  

Sales in North America will begin this autumn.