Early mark for new Mitsubishi Pajero? New plug-in powerhouse to rival the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series could launch earlier than expected - reports

The mystery surrounding the all-new Mitsubishi Pajero will be solved sooner than we expected, according to new reports, with the plug-in powerhouse expected to get a small early mark.

Several unconfirmed reports are pointing to the hotly anticipated full-size SUV from Mitsubishi now debuting in late 2026, which means we could be seeing something from the Japanese brand much sooner than we thought.

That's best case scenario, of course. But given most reports – including the original dispatches from Japan – had pointed to a 2027 unveiling, with production planned the same year, it would mean the launch of the Pajero is at least edging closer.

It would come as music to the years of Mitsubishi's Australian executives, who have previously told CarsGuide of their enthusiasm for a return of the Pajero nameplate, saying they would "love to have one".

"I have put up my hand and said we would love to have one because it's a very valuable nameplate, because it is a fantastic product, because it's a halo product," Mitsubishi Australia CEO, Shaun Westcott, has told CarsGuide.

"For all of the above reasons, we would love to have one here."

In that same conversation, Mr Westcott confirmed the brand was working on a new large SUV, but stopped short of confirming any of the key details.

“I cannot tell you what it is, what it looks like, what the powertrain is, whether there’s a ladder frame, whether there’s monocoque. I cannot give you any of that information other than to say that Mitsubishi has announced that we are working on a large SUV," he said.

For those answers, though, we turn to the USA, where US outlet CarScoops reports that the model will ditch the rugged ladder-frame chassis in favour of the CMF-C/D platform from the Renault-Mitsubishi-Nissan alliance, where it already underpins models like the Nissan Qashqai and Pathfinder, the Mitsubishi Outlander and the Renault Koleos.

With it will come a familiar powertrain, with those same reports predicting a version of the Mitsubishi Outlander's 2.4-litre plug-in petrol powertrain, but with power increased from 135kW to 285kW, with no word on torque figures yet.

It must be pointed out that Mitsubishi is yet to confirm the detail of its new large SUV. But the date the mystery will be solved edges closer.