The Two and Four Motor Sports Team led by Kenji Ishida participated in the Asia Cross-Country Rally, an FIA (International Federation of Automobile) sanctioned event, driving the MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). The stages set up along the rally route, the most extensive in Asia, changed every year and were held for the most part in Thailand. The 2013 rally started in Pattaya, a beach resort in Thailand, and covered approximately 2,000 kilometers spread over six days to finish the rally in Pakse –the city in southern Laos. The grueling rally was tackled in the harshest conditions, with a variety of terrain consisting of mountain roads, dense forest areas, muddy roads and river crossings which require ultimate durability and handling performance.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS provided crucial technical support for the Two and Four Motor Sports Team. The OUTLANDER PHEV rally car was modified based on the production vehicles, and the shock absorbers and springs were changed to competition ones, while crucial components such as roll cage, underbody skid plates and others were added. The sealing of each part was improved to make them effectively waterproof during river crossings, and a snorkel (intake duct) was installed. Twenty vehicles participated in the event, with the OUTLANDER PHEV being the only plug-in hybrid. The spectators gathered at the start in Pattaya were astonished at the quietness of the OUTLANDER PHEV as it started up in EV-mode.

The conditions deteriorated due to unexpected and intense rainfall that continued throughout the first day, many of the participants getting hopelessly stuck on tracks covered with deep mud. On the second day, the morning sections were cancelled due to maintenance of the course brought about by severe flood along a river bank. During the third day's special stage, a bridge collapsed about 10 km from the start, making it impossible to continue. Due to the deterioration of road conditions, the last day's special stage was cancelled. Under such circumstances, the OUTLANDER PHEV showed outstanding handling performance thanks to its low center of gravity and optimized front and rear weight distribution by locating the battery in the center of the floor. At the beginning of the second day, the OUTLANDER PHEV took advantage of the flat dirt sections, thanks to its features, such as the high torque delivered at low speeds, which allows for faster accelerations. The SUV displayed considerable potential by safely handling sections including slopes of up to 30 degrees at river crossings, which was one of the biggest hurdles on the special stages held on the fourth day.
As a result, the OUTLANDER PHEV was delayed on four occasions, but successfully completed the event in 17th overall. The course turned out to be a tough battle for the OUTLANDER PHEV, a passenger car based crossover SUV. The OUTLANDER PHEV performed magnificently against other vehicles such as pickup trucks and cross-country type 4WD machines with higher ground clearance. In addition, the PHEV system and its twin motor 4WD/S-AWC (Super All-wheel Control) experienced zero problems through severe road conditions ranging from muddy roads to deep river crossings. They overcame a number of difficulties in the cross-country areas where the powertrain and drivetrain can become severely overloaded but managed to successfully cross the finish line, demonstrating the reliability of the PHEV system and the superiority of the twin motor 4WD/S-AWC.