Wards’s Auto is reporting that Mitsubishi will be bringing in a plug-in hybrid version of its Outlander Sport SUV to the U.S. by 2013.

The eco-friendly SUV boasts a four-cylinder, 1.6 liter, gas-powered engine along with an electrified powertrain backed by a litium-ion battery pack.

Proceeding the launch of the Outlander Sport Hybrid will be Mitsubishi’s 2012 i hatchback which will hit U.S. car lots early next year. Following these two models, Mitsubishi plans to launch six other electrified vehicles globally before 2016.

Audi recently proclaimed that it now intends to dominate the premium hybrid and electric car market by the year 2020.

The short-term plan for achieving this goal involves the impending release of the Audi A8 and Q5 hybrid vehicles over the next few years. Following that we can expect to see a plug-in hybrid called the e-tron.

Details on the e-tron remain scarce but we do have the wonderful picture of the Audi e-tron above which is based on the snazzy R8.

Improved fuel efficiency is also a major part of Audi’s game plan as they are targeting a 30% increase in efficiency of their gas powered engines by 2020 with five percent of the entire Audi lineup being pure electric.

With plug-in electric cars about to hit the U.S. market in droves soon (Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, we’re looking at you), the EPA has finally come out with some proposed fuel economy window stickers for plug-in electric cars.

There are currently two designs which both share the same kinds of information, just with a difference layout. What the plug-in EV fuel economy stickers have in common is the added information that comes along with the complexity of electric vehicles.

Among the additional data elements is a field for greenhouse gas emissions. These will however, only cover emissions that come from the tailpipe, which is understandable since grid emissions might be a little tricky to pin down.

There will also be an area that shows fuel/energy consumption in terms of gallons per 100 miles and/or kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. Plug-in hybrid stickers will also feature a set of mpg numbers as well as a composite/equivalent number that reflects energy usage while the battery is charged and while it’s depleted.

The new fuel economy window stickers also come with a QR code that lets shoppers scan it to make quick comparisons on vehicles.

The 2010 EcoCAR challenge is the second stage of a three-part, three-year challenge and this stage’s winning team is the Mississippi State University (MSU) team and their super efficient plug-in Hybrid. The MSU augmented plug-in hybrid has a 60 mile all electric range and a per gallon equivalent of 118 miles.

The contest wasn’t even close this year with MSU’s plug-in hybrid destroying the competition with a score of 844 points out of 1,000 with the second highest score only getting 691.

The MSU college kids have put together a very impressive vehicle that would make any car manufacturer blush with jealousy. It will be interesting to see how the MSU team does in the next stage of the EcoCAR competition.