Mitsubishi will soon reveal its new Pajero off-road SUV, but there is a whole family of Pajero models coming.
The Japanese carmaker first announced this intention as part of its ‘Mid-Long Term Vision’ presentation in May 2026. All three Pajero models were teased with their boxy, upright silhouettes revealed.
Broadening the Pajero nameplate follows a similar ethos to what Toyota is currently doing with the LandCruiser. There is the full-size LandCruiser 300 Series, the iconic LandCruiser 70 Series, the LandCruiser Prado and now the smaller LandCruiser FJ. Even more LandCruisers are planned in the future, including an electric one.
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Mitsubishi has historically offered many versions of the Pajero to supplement the full-size version.
Up until recently it offered the Pajero Sport/Challenger as a Thai-produced SUV counterpart to the Triton ute. There has also been the Pajero Mini kei car, as well as the Pajero Junior and Pajero iO small SUVs.
What’s the next Pajero model coming?
As reported by Nikkei Asia, the second Pajero model will be a mid-size model to rival the likes of the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, or possibly the new FJ LandCruiser.
Sales are reportedly due to begin in Japan around late 2028 or early 2029. It’s unclear if it will be exported to other countries yet, but mid-size SUVs are incredibly popular in Australia.
This mid-size Pajero will reportedly be manufactured in Japan and be built on a dedicated platform, while sharing componentry with the Outlander. It’s unclear if this means it’ll be built on a more rugged ladder-frame or road-going monocoque platform.
It will reportedly be differentiated from its rivals by offering electronically controlled four-wheel drive. There will also reportedly be a hybrid powertrain.
Tougher exterior styling is expected to differentiate it from the Outlander.
An even smaller Pajero is coming?
Mitsubishi has teased a third Pajero model is in the pipeline and it will reportedly be a compact version that may slot into kei car regulations in Japan.
If this is the case, this means the compact Pajero will need to be no longer than 3400mm, no wider than 1480mm and no taller than 2000mm. It must also have an engine no larger than 660cc that can produce up to 47kW.
This compact Pajero will reportedly be produced in Japan and be a key rival to the likes of the Suzuki Jimny, among others.
It won’t be the first Mitsubishi model to also spawn a kei-car version. The Japanese carmaker currently offers the Delica Mini as a smaller companion to the Delica D:5, plus it historically offered the Pajero Mini from 1994 to 2012.
It’s unlikely this compact Pajero will be offered in other markets outside of Japan. Mitsubishi has previously explored introducing kei car-sized vehicles in Australia but found the required engineering work to pass local design and safety regulations would make them too costly.
What do we know about the new Mitsubishi Pajero?
The new, full-size Mitsubishi Pajero is reportedly set to be unveiled on September 2 and will be on sale in Australia before the end of 2026. This comes roughly five years after the previous model was discontinued locally.
Unlike previous Pajeros, this new model will be produced in Thailand and adopt its ladder-frame chassis from the Triton ute. This is more like the previous Pajero Sport/Challenger as the Pajero has historically been its own model.
It’s expected the new Pajero will share a version of the 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel engine with the current Triton.
However, recent investment in Mitsubishi’s Thai manufacturing facility hinted that a hybrid version of both could be fast-tracked.
