2026 Nissan X-Trail Plug-In Hybrid could be a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander
02/18/2025 05:00 PM
A shadowy preview of the upcoming Nissan Rogue PHEV – sold here as the X-Trail in petrol and hybrid forms – appears to show a very similar look to the current Mitsubishi Outlander SUV.
The Nissan X-Trail Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) expected to debut later this year could be a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander, an official image appears to show.
A shadowy preview of the upcoming Nissan Rogue PHEV – the North American name for the global X-Trail model – released by the brand appears to look similar to the current Mitsubishi Outlander, which is a non-identical twin to the Nissan.
While standard versions of the X-Trail and Outlander use the same Nissan-sourced 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, the existing Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV uses a Mitsubishi-developed 2.4-litre petrol engine matched to two electric motors.
Plug-in hybrid Outlanders feature Mitsubishi’s full-time all-wheel-drive technology – known as Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) – with an electric motor on its rear axle, rather than the on-demand mechanical all-wheel-drive system used in petrol Outlander and X-Trail models.
Nissan has already reportedly confirmed the Rogue PHEV will launch in the United States for Model Year 2026 sharing components with the Outlander PHEV, but it was expected to retain the current petrol model’s body design.
If Nissan decides to rebadge the Mitsubishi Outlander for its X-Trail Plug-In Hybrid, it would be an unusual move given the existing similarities between the two vehicles – with the low-light teaser potentially making the current X-Trail’s daytime running light shape appear more like the Outlander.
The X-Trail and Outlander both have LED daytime running lights in a separate module mounted higher up than their low- and high-beam headlights, but the Mitsubishi has a different shape to the Nissan which appears to align with the Rogue PHEV teaser.
MORE: Nissan X-Trail Plug-in Hybrid confirmed with Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV motor – report
Its mechanical differences could have required more engineering or manufacturing costs than Nissan was willing to invest in the current model to develop the plug-in hybrid and retool its factories, with a heavily facelifted X-Trail expected to launch in 2026 or 2027.
The X-Trail and Outlander are manufactured in separate factories, with the Nissan built in Japan, the United States and China – while the Mitsubishi is made at its own Japanese plant.
Nissan appears to have confirmed a heavy facelift for the X-Trail will launch between April 2026 and March 2027 with its third-generation e-Power hybrid technology, which doesn’t require plugging in.
The third-generation e-Power system is claimed to offer a 15 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency at higher speeds over the second-generation version found in the current X-Trail e-Power.
It will be offered in the United States for the first time as the Rogue e-Power, along with the Rogue PHEV, with the model currently lacking hybrid options in its biggest market.
The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V – which are available with hybrid powertrains – outsold the Rogue in the United States in 2024, with sales of the Nissan down almost 10 per cent from the previous year.
Nissan has not confirmed if an X-Trail Plug-In Hybrid will be offered outside of the United States.
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