Electric shock for 2023 Mitsubishi Triton! New ute to beat Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux to electrified powertrain - reports

The incoming Mitsubishi Triton will introduce a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time, potentially beating Australian ute heavyweights like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and its twin the Nissan Navara to electrification in Australia, according to new reports.

Japanese media are reporting the new Triton will essentially future-proof itself by offering a plug-in hybrid powertrain that will be ready for future emissions standards, either in Australia or around the world.

Japanese site Spyder7 reports that the new Triton, expected in 2023, will debut a plug-in hybrid similar to that offered in the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

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The new Outlander PHEV uses a 20.0kWh lithium-ion battery pack, up from 13.8kWh in the old model, and 85kW front and 100kW rear axle-mounted electric motors, ensuring all-wheel drive traction.

The PHEV system is paired with a revised version of the 98kW, 2.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, ensuring a total system output of 185kW of power and 450Nm of torque.

It has an electric driving range of 84km on the NEDC cycle and a combined fuel economy figure of 1.5 litres per 100 kilometres, which is an improvement over the old model’s 1.9L figure.

So far, so ute. But one hurdle Mitsubishi might still need to clear to be considered a proper electric dual-cab is towing, with the last Outlander PHEV only rated to around 700kg.

The new Triton is being co-developed with Nissan - thanks to the Alliance that takes in Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault - but development is said to be led by Mitsubishi.

The new ute is expected to launch in 2023, and while a PHEV powertrain is expected to be among the offerings - at least globally - a more traditional diesel engine will also certainly appear in the line-up.

In Europe, non-electrified vehicles are already banned from, or charged for, entering certain city areas, and it's expected an electrified Triton will be offered as a potential solution, whether its plug-in petrol or plug-in diesel.

“If you look at the ute market generally, it’s clear that sometime during this decade there will be all sorts of forms of electrification of utes. It’s a matter of what form that will take and when,” Owen Thomson, senior manager of product strategy for Mitsubishi Motors Australia, told CarsGuide last year.

"From day one, electrification has been part of the plan for the new-generation Triton.

“It can work in Australia - it depends on the user, and some users may take advantage of it, but for others it may be a disadvantage.”