Mitsubishi Pajero News

The Mitsubishi Pajero will go into production in December 2026 and will be built in Thailand — already the manufacturing home of the Mitsubishi Triton, and other dual-cab utes like the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max — according to new reports out of the Phillipines.That's the word from The Daily Tribune, which is reporting that the "Desert King" will be built alongside the Triton before being shipped to its on-sale markets.The move would all but lock the Pajero in for sale in Australia, given our Mitsubishi Triton is built there in right-hand drive, and also suggests the model will adopt a ladder-frame chassis, one it shares with Mitsubishi's workhorse ute.It would also lend credibility to reports that the reborn Pajero will hark back to its rugged roots, rather than take a more on-road focussed approach.In fact, reports out of Japan have already pointed to the Triton and Pajero sharing a platform, with Best Car Web making the claim earlier this year.According to the same site, the Pajero won't borrow from the Y63 Patrol, and will instead forge its own ute-based path. That would likely mean sharing the Triton's diesel powertrain – a twin-turbo-diesel 2.4-litre that produces 150kW and 470Nm. But reports suggest the new model will be future-proofed, with a mid-term plan to fit Mitsubishi's next-generation petrol plug-in hybrid technology.It would still be a large SUV, though, measuring a reported 5100mm in length, 1930mm in width and 1815mm in height.According to Best Car, Mitsubishi would target a starting price in its domestic market of around 6.5m Yen, or $67,000 AUD. A similar pricing strategy in Australia would see it significantly undercut the cheapest LC300 ($96k) and Y62 Nissan Patrol ($95k)."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 boss, Shaun Westcott has previously told CarsGuide."For all of the above reasons, we would love to have one here.“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."

Mitsubishi’s upcoming Pajero Sport successor has been unveiled, well in a way.Japanese Publication Best Car Web has published new digital renders of the so-called Pajero without any camouflage based on a prototype vehicle seen testing earlier this year in Europe.The images are similar to CarsGuide’s own renders produced by Thanos Pappas earlier this year. They depict a large angular and boxy SUV with a very upright and broad nose, as well as a horizontal-slat grille, tall bonnet, set-back cabin and a high flat roofline, leading to a squared-off tailgate.As previously detailed, Mitsubishi may shelve the Pajero Sport badge and bring back the iconic and original Pajero name. Earlier this year Mitsubishi Australia told CarsGuide that with the previous-generation Pajero Sport - plus the ASX and Eclipse Cross SUVs - being retired due to not meeting Australian Design Rules (ADRs) there would be a replacement but wouldn’t say what it would be called."These nameplates will be replaced by equivalent — if you want to call it that — vehicles in the coming years," said Mitsubishi Australia's GM of Product Strategy and PR, Bruce Hampel.Best Car Web claims the new Pajero will be based on the current Triton which launched locally in 2024. This means a body-on-frame chassis is likely, like the outgoing Pajero Sport.Historically, the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame chassis, however, later versions from the 2000s onward were built on a monocoque platform, like the current Land Rover Defender.If the Pajero does make a full comeback it will have its work cut out for itself because its old rival, the Prado, is only recently starting its new generation and offered with a turbo-diesel mild-hybrid powertrain locally and a hybrid powertrain in other markets.Mitsubishi’s best selling vehicle is the Outlander mid-sized SUV with 15,043 sales so far this year. The current Pajero Sport despite being on the way out is still selling well with 3758 sold until the end of August.

Which Mitsubishi do you wish would make a comeback? Pajero? Lancer?  Well, Mitsubishi is currently undertaking a massive overhaul of its Australian line-up with several new models to come to fill the gaps. So while they're at it we’ve put together our wishlist of cars they really should really revive or bring here. The changes to the Australian Design rules (ADRs) in March this year meant Mitsubishi had to axe three vehicles from its local lineup.  These were the ASX small SUV, the bigger Eclipse Cross SUV and the Pajero Sport off-roader. This leaves Mitsubishi with just two cars on sale in Australia — the Triton ute and Outlander mid-sized SUV. Meanwhile Toyota has 23 models on sale.Now we're not suggesting that Mitsubishi needs another 21 models, Ford is managing just fine on pretty much the Ranger, Everest and Mustang, but I definitely think there are some essentials the brand could use and a few dream cars while we're at it.Probably the most obvious model Mitsubishi needs right now is the Pajero. Yep once-upon-a-1990s the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero wrestled for dominance all over Australia, from the outback to suburbia. The Pajero eventually lost the battle and was axed by Mitsubishi in 2020 … or so we thought! Imagine the comeback. Just when the new generation Prado had arrived and was still gloating, the Pajero could make its return. Sure the Pajero Sport is coming back in 2026, but that’s a Ford Everest rival. The beauty is Mitsubishi could easily plonk another, posher-looking SUV body on the ladder frame and call it the Pajero. And they’ve already got the badges made up. You just just take the “Sport” bit off. Think of the savings.Next on our wish list is not really a car that would sell in high numbers, but it'd be the halo car in many ways the brand needs so badly right now —  a reborn Lancer, and yes, with an Evolution grade as well. Or maybe just a standalone Lancer Evo XI. I think we’re up to XI, I can't remember but I tested the very final one in 2015.Back in the final glory days of Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore there were two other tribes going to war: Subaru WRX v Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. These days the WRX lives on, but it looks so lonely without the Lancer EVO to play with.Finally, and given the number of grey imports we see of this car, Mitsubishi needs to add the Delica people mover to its Aussie line-up. What’s not to like about a high-riding all-wheel drive six-seater van?A sixth-generation of the people mover is expected in the next two years and whether it looks anything like the futuristic and silly Delica concept Mitsubishi revealed at the 2023 Tokyo Motorshow is yet to be seen.A wishlist for Mitsubishi could go one forever, who wouldn’t want to see the Colt come back, or the Cordia Turbo? Or the 3000GT?In reality the ASX will be back and so too will the Pajero Sport, and that might be all Mitsubishi needs as it faces bigger problems.  Challenges like how on Earth will it adapt to a rapidly changing market that’s been inundated with excellent electric vehicles from brands which hardly existed five years ago. Currently Mitsubishi doesn’t even sell one purely electric vehicle in Australia at all.

A mini 4WD revolution is underway with a wave of cut-price, cute and capable off-roaders in the works.

An old 4WD rivalry is about to be re-ignited. Mitsubishi is preparing a new off-road focused four-wheel drive, which is likely to be a replacement for the discontinued Pajero.

Mitsubishi could have a genuine rival to the Ford Ranger Raptor in coming years.The carmaker has been toying with the idea of bringing back the Ralliart brand in Australia, and if it does it wouldn’t just be a sticker pack according to Mitsubishi Australia's GM of product strategy and PR, Bruce Hampel.When asked if a proper Ralliart vehicle can happen, Hampel’s answer was simple: “Yes”.“We are working closely with MMC (Mitsubishi Motors Corporation) on opportunities to utilise the brand in the Australian market,” he said.“We want to do it right, if we are going to do it.”“It is a very valuable brand for MMC, and they are very cautious around utilising the brand on the right products with the right execution.“We are in ongoing discussions with them at this point in terms of the potential opportunities in the future to create a product that would be suitable, and earn the right, to the Ralliart branding,” said Hampel.The Ralliart brand has a rich history in the World Rally Championship with Lancer but also in the Dakar Rally with Pajero.Neither of those vehicles exist anymore. There have been rumours of a Pajero return but Mitsubishi has been silent on if that would happen.There are several models that would suit the Ralliart brand such as Triton or the Pajero Sport replacement, but Hampel said the local arm is still in discussion with head office about what would work best.“So what fits best for the Australian market and Australian customers we are still working through exactly the right vehicle line to apply it, if we were able to convince ourselves that it’s the right thing to do.”“It could well be a transition path over time, as well. Rather than just coming out with a Raptor beater for example. A Raptor didn’t happen overnight. That was a dedicated effort based on the foundation of the F-150 Raptors, for example, in the US.“Triton is the obvious one at this stage, right, but in the Australian market it’s very easy to fall into a me too type product everyone’s done.“So whether the right thing is to follow or to try and shake up the industry a little bit by bringing something new to market is the conjecture at this point in time,” he said.Mitsubishi has a Ralliart Triton that competes in the Asia Cross Country Rally, so the pedigree and engineering know-how is already there to create a genuine alternative to the Ranger Raptor.Hampel also said the Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport models would be replaced in coming years and the new products give the brand the opportunity to use the Ralliart brand as a hero product within those vehicle lines, too.

We already know the rumoured all-new fifth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero is set to shift a little further upmarket (to ‘Japanese Range Rover’ status) when it makes its scheduled debut in 2026.

It seems like the next big thing may not be so big after all.

Mitsubishi unveiled a new large SUV concept last week but, much to many people’s dismay, it’s a Toyota Kluger rival instead of a tough off-road beast. 

Mitsubishi this week tore the covers off a new seven-seat SUV concept called the DST, simultaneously deflating millions of hearts who were hoping the top-secret reveal would be of the new Pajero Sport.