Mitsubishi wants to shed the notoriety behind optimistic fuel-economy estimates by publishing real-world figures.
Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi U.K., told AutoExpress the Japanese automaker will be more transparent about what kind of fuel economy consumers can expect, starting with the upcoming Outlander plug-in hybrid, which is rated at 148 miles per gallon.
“Consumers came back saying it only did 90 mpg. It’s crazy that people think that’s bad, but it’s all relative,” Bradley said. “We’d like to do a graph, maybe just a figure, starting with the (Outlander) PHEV but then rolling it out to other cars.”
Bradley says the data would most likely come from customer input and data. Fuel economy estimates constantly raise questions from critics, citing them for optimistic testing procedures that don’t always result in a realistic expectation of real-world fuel consumption. Mitsubishi’s move is especially critical, considering the company is planning to offer a lineup consisting of entirely plug-in hybrid vehicles in five years.
