Mitsubishi->ke58 has languished in the face of stiff competition from automakers that have aggressively updated models, chased new markets and expanded into new technologies. Now Auto Express is reporting that Mitsubishi is busy laying the groundwork for a reinvention of its current model lineup with the adoption of its PHEV technology across the range.

Mitsubishi plans to introduce plug-in hybrid->ke3234 technology to nearly every model it sells in the future. Mitsubishi has been pushing towards PHEV technology in recent years, but it’s still big news to see any automaker move to PHEV for its entire range.

With the rise of ecological responsibility coupled to high fuel prices, Mitsubishi is hoping that PHEV technology is its proverbial ace-in-the-hole. Mitsubishi UK Managing Director Lance Bradley told Auto Express that the company is planning to “trickle into other models, with every new model that is launched in the next five years and beyond having either electric or hybrid technology.” By 2020, the company looks dedicate 20 percent of its overall production to hybrid or electric models. Bradley also revealed that Mitsubishi is going to expand its lineup and enter new segments.

These sound like ambitious plans for a company that seems to have been allergic to revenue and sales success. It now seems that Mitsubishi is finally turning the corner with its feet planted to the ground, ready and willing to catch up to the competition.

Note: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S pictured here.

Click past the jump to read more about Mitsubishi's future plans.

Why It Matters

We all waited for Mitsubishi to stand up and fight back when the Hondas,->ke34 Toyotas,->ke88 Nissans,->ke62 and Mazdas->ke53 of the world decided to put their gloves on and entered this Japanese automaker battle royale.

It's great to finally see Mitsubishi making ambitious plans, but the company also needs to understand that talking about it only gets you so far. At some point, we're going to demand to see the results of all the chest-puffing and electrically-charged promises.

That's the next step. We've seen it in spurts in the past. Now it's up to Mitsubishi to live up to its promise of expanding the lineup. We'd love to see it get back into the fray, but until we actually see competitive products, we're going to hold off on celebrating.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Concept-S

Mitsubishi company has given us some hints of what it has in store for its models with recent models like the just-unveiled Outlander->ke1397 PHEV Concept-S.

This concept SUV->ke145 made its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show->ke227 and if it is, in fact, a sign of things to come for Mitsubishi, then consider us intrigued. The Outlander PHEV Concept-S bears a lot of similarities to the current Outlander, but comes with refined design aesthetics that are far removed from the previous Outlander model.

It also has that fancy new PHEV technology, which shouldn't have come as a surprise considering its part of the concept's name. Power comes from a plug-in hybrid system that includes a four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine, a pair of electric motors, and a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Performance numbers weren't released, but Mitsubishi did say that the concept will be able to travel as much as 34 miles before it needs to be recharged.That is far from acceptable in the EV world that is populated by Teslas and Nissan Leafs, but it represents a start. Let's see if Mitsubishi can follow through.