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Carsales Staff17 Sept 2014
NEWS

Mitsubishi hybrid SUV tackles Oz Safari

Can a plug-in hybrid withstand the rigours of the Australasian Safari?

Update, September 17: Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia (TMR) has now revealed its FIA-specification Outlander PHEV, along with a battle-ready Triton ute, both of which will contest the 2014 Australasian Safari in West Australia between September 19 and 27. The production class hybrid Outlander took more than 330 hours to prepare and will be driven by Steve Glenney and co-driver Bernie Webb. It is the first rally car entry of its kind in an Australian motorsport event.

Australia's first ever plug-in hybrid SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, will take on the Australasian Safari in late September under the stewardship of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia (or TMR Australia).

The Outlander PHEV's debut in the tough 2500km event in Western Australia marks the first time a plug-in hybrid 4WD has been officially fielded in an Australian motorsport event.

The single vehicle will be driven by Steve Glenney and co-driven by Bernie Webb in the gruelling nine-day event, and will have technical support from Mitsubishi Motors Australia.

Sometimes dubbed the 'Dakar Down Under', the Australasian Safari is known for its ability to tear vehicles to shreds, but Mitsubishi is confident its hybrid 4WD can make it through the event.

It will be entered in the A1 class (production vehicles) and will compete in a sub-category created specially for dual-engined and hybrid vehicles.

The Outlander PHEV race vehicle will also benefit from a number of upgrades to help protect its 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, twin front and rear 60kW electric motors and 12kWh, 80-cell lithium-ion battery.

The vehicle will also receive extra frontal and underbody protection, uprated suspension (with strengthened arms and strut towers and adjustable dampers), race-spec brake pads and rally tyres.

The Australasian Safari is the third international event the Outlander PHEV has entered since it was launched in 2012 – it successfully finished the Thailand, Cambodia Asia Cross Country Rally in 2013 and 2014.

Team Principal of the TMR Australia Outlander PHEV Safari squad, Alan Heaphy, said the Dakar Down Under is an ideal event to showcase the vehicle's reliability.

"From our long-term experience working with Mitsubishi products, the quality of engineering and technology is a good match for motorsport," he said.

"We're looking forward to proving the Outlander PHEV's durability and technology in genuine off-road conditions."

The Australasian Safari runs between September 19 and 27. The 2014 event marks the last Safari, with the WA government recently declining to renew its contract to support the event.

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