The Mitsubishi Outlander is a mid-size crossover SUV that is built by Mitsubishi Motors. The Mitsubishi Outlander has had three generations, the newest one in 2012. When it was first introduced in Japan in 2001, the vehicle was known as the Mitsubishi Airtrek and it was based on the Mitsubishi ASX concept vehicle that was exhibited at the 2001 North American International Auto Show.
They chose the name Airtrek because it was to "describe the vehicle’s ability to transport its passengers on adventure-packed journeys in a 'free-as-a-bird' manner" and was "coined from Air and Trek to express the idea of footloose, adventure-filled motoring pleasure." The new name Outlander was chosen because it suggested a "feeling of journeying to distant, unexplored lands in search of adventure."