Mitsubishi reveals sportier Outlander PHEV

If you thought Mitsubishi's new $47,490 plug-in hybrid SUV, the Outlander PHEV, was just a flight of fancy for the Japanese car-maker, think again.

Two new sketches of a "sporty and sophisticated" Outlander variant, dubbed the Concept-S, have broken cover, providing an insight into the direction Mitsubishi wants to take the vehicle.

The Outlander PHEV Concept-S will make its debut at the 2014 Paris motor show in early October and judging by the sketches it'll be a sportier, more dynamic proposition.

The headlights appear much sleeker and are underpinned by prominent chrome accents. It rides on seriously large alloy wheels and the rear-end sketch shows similar chrome accents underneath retro brake light treatment.

The design borrows a few design cues from Mitsubishi's visionary Concept XR-PHEV Evolution (pictured) that was created for the Gran Turismo 6 video game, particularly the headlight clusters and chrome flourishes beneath.

It's not clear if the current Outlander PHEV's petrol-electric hybrid powertrain will be modified for this sporty new take, to rival vehicles such as the go-fast Subaru Forester XT. Currently the Outlander PHEV employs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine worth 87kW/186Nm, while front and rear electric motors generate up to 60kW/137Nm and 60kW/195Nm respectively.

The Outlander PHEV's claimed 11-second 0-100km/h dash would need to be beefed up considerably to match the Subaru.

Having already competed in two Asian rallies, and now being confirmed to enter the gruelling Australasian Safari Mitsubishi is clearly on a mission to expand the scope of its hybrid SUV.

Stay tuned for more details from the 2014 Paris motor show from October 2.