Mitsubishi plots new Triton tough truck

Mitsubishi has whipped the covers off a new Triton tough truck in Thailand, but while this Athlete special edition is not on the cards for Australia, the local arm says a more hardcore dual-cab remains firmly on its agenda.

The Mitsubishi Triton Athlete makes use of a blacked-out design theme (as well as a liberal use of stickers) to create the tough truck image, with darkened grille, roof, bumpers, tray liner and alloys. There are side steps and a sports bar, too. And they are both, you guessed it, black.

But while the Athlete is unlikely to make it to Australia, the brand here is still planning a beefed-up Triton born of the Absolute concept that has recently been touring our country. 

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That car features flared front and rear arches, dark chrome accenting and badging, a black grille, and a carbon-fibre tailgate. There's also a roof bar and LED spot lights. Its "upgraded" suspension has increased ride height by 50mm for improved ground clearance, there's more suspension travel, and there are front and rear skid plates, too. There's also a wider track to allow for heavy-duty off-road tyres.

"We had the Absolute concept, which we were using as a gauge to see what the opportunity was for a special edition Triton," a Mitsubishi spokesperson told CarsGuide.

"The feedback was very positive, and it continues to be, and it’s certainly something we would like to be able to expand upon in the future. But it is soo early to announce anything at this stage."

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It doesn't take much between-the-line reading to guess that there is an announcement coming, a theory reinforced by Mitsubishi Australia's CEO, John Signoriello.

“Absolute came out as a concept car, and the aim there was to create some aspiration, and from that we’d get some derivatives from it," he told us in September. "It’s going to take some development to get it to that (the concept’s) level.

"You’ll see later on this year and next year something that will come off of that, but not to that extent.”