Mitsubishi will unveil an all-new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV at the net Paris Motor Show, as part of its global offensive to launch greener cars. It will be Mitsu’s first Plug-in Hybrid car, powered by a sophisticated system which is basically an EV powertrain, but hooked up to a petrol engine. The car also benefits form the brand’s legendary 4-Wheel-Drive expertise.

The unique system in this Mitsubishi offers a combination of front electric motor + rear electric motor + front traction/generator petrol engine, which means you get three driving modes to suit your needs. You can set it in Pure (Twin Motor 4WD EV), Series (Twin Motor 4WD – EV supported by generator), or Parallel (ICE engine supported by Twin Motor 4WD).

The upshot is that you get a very capable four-wheel-drive crossover that can cover a distance of over 800 km between the pumps, while emitting about 50 g/km CO2. The Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV will be launched in Europe in 2013. The new Outlander ICE (internal combustion engine) meanwhile will be released in fall of 2012.