Lining
up hot competition for the Honda CR-V,
India’s own Hindustan Motors might
soon unveil its Mitsubishi Outlander.
The company plans to begin trial
production of the Outlander by
mid-2008 and launch it soon after
wards.
A prominent auto magazine in a report
on the Mitsubishi Outlander said that
the company is likely to fix a price
tag of less than Rs 20 lakh in its bid
to steal market share from Honda CR-V.
The report said that it is most likely
that Hindustan Motors would locally
assemble the Mitsubishi Outlander at
its Thiruvallur plant in Tamil Nadu.
This in fact explains the less that Rs
20 lakh tag as locally-assembled cars
pay less tax than imported cars.
- 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine
- Rs 20 lakhs (estimated)
- Six speed manual, CVT and
paddle-shift auto
Hindustan Motors is likely to
offer the Mitsubishi Outlander with
a 2.4-litre four-pot petrol engine,
while transmission options include a
six-speed manual and a stepless CVT
with six pre-selected ratios which
can be controlled via paddles on the
steering wheel, which is expected to
be more efficient than a
conventional automatic.
The vehicle, according to the
report, would come loaded with
Mitsubishi’s All Wheel Control
system that transfers torque between
the front and rear axles for maximum
traction. Furthermore, the vehicle
would boast of an advanced
suspension package which includes
monotube dampers and coil springs at
all four corners. The car maker is
expected to roll out the Outlander
in one trim level which will be
fully loaded to include a high-end
entertainment system, replete with
four six-inch speakers, twin dome
tweeters, a 10-inch sub-woofer and a
650 watt amplifier as standard.
Safety is another aspect the company
has given much thought as it begins
to make the vehicle and intelligent
airbags are expected to be unique
features in the Outlander , the
report added.
