Based on the new Outlander shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the plug-in hybrid version has electric motors front and rear with a small petrol engine working as a generator or to assist the front motor.

At launch, the Outlander will be the first permanent four wheel drive electric vehicle on sale, and is claimed to offer acceleration similar to a V6 petrol while returning low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The carmaker said it had decided against a diesel engine due to low demand outside Europe.

The conventional version goes on sale at the end of 2012, with the plug-in hybrid scheduled for a 2013 launch.