Mitsubishi Pajero Sport News

Mitsubishi’s rugged Pajero Sport four-wheel drive is no more, but help is on the way.

New Australian Design Rules (ADRs) will begin to bite from March 1, 2025, requiring all new vehicles to be sold with auto emergency braking (AEB) systems. The rules mean major withdrawals from the Australian new-car market but they aren’t quite as widespread as you might imagine, with some manufacturers putting in the effort to keep their cars on the right side of the law. Falling in line with United Nations safety protocols, ADR 98/00 — Advanced Emergency Braking for Passenger Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles requires the fitment of AEB, a life-saving technology that can automatically apply the brakes if a car senses an impending crash. These systems have various levels of effectiveness but the latest rule change is concerned with being able to detect other cars on the road. The systems must function at least between 10-60km/h and be able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop on a dry road from 40km/h. They must also switch on every time the car is started. This applied to new models of passenger car, light and medium commercial vehicles from March 1, 2023 and will cover all new vehicles imported into Australia from March 1.Mitsubishi is the hardest hit by the new rules, no longer able to sell the Pajero Sport off-road SUV or Eclipse Cross small SUV. The long-running ASX is also affected but Mitsubishi’s small SUV will be replaced by a new model this year.Next casualty is the cut-price Suzuki Ignis, which is not fitted with the technology. A new model, the Fronx, will replace it but probably not at its bargain price. Entry-level Vitaras will also be affected, though the brand did not respond to our query. The Porsche 718 would have been hit by the rule change, but production ceased in September with a new electric generation coming equipped with AEB. Another affordable brand slugged with the need for AEB is LDV, its cheap V80 large van is not equipped with the technology but, like the Porsche, production ended last year and all that’s left is existing stock. The entry trim T60 ute and all G10 van trims also lack AEB. CarsGuide was informed by a spokesperson that both “will meet the upcoming requirements for ADR 98/00”, with more news to share in the coming months. The Toyota Granvia people mover has also been given the chop. Onto the, perhaps unlikely, candidates that are equipped with AEB. Despite their age, these vehicles remain important sellers for carmakers, so it was clearly worth investing.There is none older than the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, over 40 years old its mid-life crisis (or glow-up) saw Toyota add crucial AEB including pedestrian, cyclist and motorcycle detection. Toyota also, a little sneakily, bumped the GVM beyond 3500kg to 3510kg in 2023. The value of this is that the 70 Series becomes reclassified as a medium goods vehicle, allowing it to dodge the latest side impact regulations that would’ve seen an imminent sales stop. The Toyota Fortuner, current HiLux and GR86 manual are all equipped with AEB that permit sale in Australia up to, and beyond, 2026.Another ageing model due for replacement is the Nissan Patrol, though the new version is not due until 2026 the Y62’s many life-cycle updates saw ‘Intelligent Emergency Braking’, an AEB system that can detect cars and pedestrians, way back in 2019.Also worth noting is the British Ineos Grenadier off-roader, the first batch does not have AEB. Cheekily, orders opened in May 2022 (before the mandate for all-new models) but customers didn’t receive cars in bulk until the first quarter of 2023, and Australian media only sampled the cars in December of that year. CarsGuide understands that all Grenadiers and Quartermasters will be equipped with AEB from March onwards.The Australian Government has launched a review into ADRs going forwards now there is no longer local manufacturing to legislate (and protect). The next big active safety ADR change (revised as ADR 98/01) is due in August 2026, when all cars sold must have AEB systems that can intervene if a pedestrian is detected in the path of a vehicle. Some carmakers, including Nissan and Mitsubishi, have called for this to better align Australia’s laws with Europe, Japan and the USA promoting greater affordability and fast-tracking of more efficient models. 

New regulations are about to blast a big hole in Mitsubishi’s Australian line-up.The popular brand has announced the Pajero Sport four-wheel drive and Eclipse Cross compact SUV will be deleted from its range this year.Changes to Australian Design Rules (ADR) from March 1 this year meant the vehicles needed expensive upgrades to its auto emergency braking technology. Mitsubishi Australia boss, Shaun Westcott, said the investment in re-engineering the vehicles to comply with the new ADR was not viable considering the advanced age of the vehicles.A similar issue has caused the retirement of the current ASX small SUV. Mitsubishi Australia has announced a replacement for the ASX is due this year, in the form of the Renault Captur-based European ASX, but there are no imminent replacements for the other two models.Westcott said production of all those vehicles had already ended and the company had ordered significant stock ahead of time to make vehicles available to customers throughout 2025.All three models experienced significant growth in 2024: ASX sales were up more than 34 per cent to 12,330, Eclipse Cross sales were up about 18 per cent to 9221 and Pajero Sport had a stellar year with 7306 sales up more than 31 per cent on the previous year.The three models accounted for more than a third of the company’s sales in 2024, which will make it a challenging year for Mitsubishi in 2025.The new ASX is unlikely to be the same price leader as the current version, with the new model imported from Europe and fitted with improved safety and in-car tech, heavily reworked design and hybrid power. Progress comes at a cost.Westcott said the company would eventually fill the void left by the two models as shown in its 'Momentum 2030' plan.“We have a lot of good product coming, there are a number of significant new models and products in that plan. So we are actually quite excited about the next couple of years.”This was echoed by Mitsubishi Australia's GM of product strategy and PR, Bruce Hampel."These nameplates will be replaced by equivalent — if you want to call it that — vehicles in the coming years," said Hampel."We will continue in those medium, large SUV spaces going forward. It's really the core business here in Australia along with other electrified vehicles in the small, medium SUV spaces."This vehicle won't necessarily be called the Eclipse Cross or Pajero Sport, with the names still up for debate.Westcott said Mitsubishi’s intention was to provide people with vehicles that will help them explore Australia.“The future is very much focused towards off road adventure, four-wheel drive, SUV, large SUV in the portfolio. We’d like to see all of them.”“So in that 2030 plan you’ll see the outline or the silhouette of a large SUV. And I know there have been some spy photos, some of you guys have picked them up, of the Pajero Sport replacements running around in mule form.“We are doing a lot of work on a lot of platforms and a lot of models, so that 2030 Momentum plan includes a number of new products that you’ve seen the silhouette of that we are working on. There’s a lot happening at the moment,” he said.Westcott said electrification for those vehicles was “absolutely” in the brand’s future.The company’s global CEO has previously announced some form of electrification, which includes mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full battery electric, in 50 per cent of all models by 2030 and all of its vehicles by 2035.

The car industry is based on constant model renewal. Cycles have been getting shorter and shorter, with the main industry settling on between six and eight years as the norm. 

It’s been another huge year at CarsGuide, especially when it comes to our video content.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has always been a quiet achiever in a market full of vehicles that generate more excitement, that have greater cache with the car-buying public, and sell better than the Pajero Sport. It generally moves less than half the units top-sellers such as Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X move in the same amount of time.

It’s no secret that the success of the Chinese carmakers in Australia has been built, largely, on cut-price tactics.

Mitsubishi has released a special edition Ralliart variant of its Pajero Sport model overseas, though the brand’s local division says it could have something a little more compelling in its sights for the local market.What is essentially a sticker pack in the Philippines, the special edition Pajero Sport – known as the Mondero Sport locally – features an array of design tweaks, such as special White Diamond paint, black gloss rims, red bumper accents and a huge Ralliart art decal plastered on the car’s rear third quarter.Underneath, though, everything remains stock-standard, with the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 133kW/430Nm through an eight-speed automatic transmission going unchanged from the regular model.Strangely, it isn’t even being offered with Mitsubishi’s Super Select 4WD-II system. Rather, the special-edition is exclusive to the rear-wheel drive variant, according to Top Gear Phillipines. Product Public Relations Manager at Mitsubishi Australia, Adam Davis, said that's why the brand isn’t keen to roll out the model locally.“Similar to previous Ralliart design models offered in other markets, Mitsubishi Motors Australia will not offer this option for Pajero Sport,” he said in a statement.“We continue discussions with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to best understand how to apply Ralliart locally, and we want to do its heritage justice.”How and when a Ralliart for the local market takes shape is unclear at this stage, although rumours of special-edition Ralliart Triton have been brewing for quite some time.Mitsubishi CEO Shaun Westcott told CarsGuide at the Triton’s national launch in March that the brand has been “asking for a Ralliart”, with other ute-loving markets such as South Africa also thought to be keen.Should one come to Australia, it could take shape as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a petrol engine to take on the Ford Ranger PHEV and BYD Shark 6, particularly as the brand leans into the technology more following the success of the Outlander PHEV.The brand’s 2024 dealer conference outlined its path to electrification earlier this year, with a keen focus on embracing more hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery technology before 2030.If the model does end up being a Triton off-spring, it is likely to bear a strong resemblance to the souped-up AXCR Triton that Mitsubishi revealed in July as its entrant into the Asia Cross Country Rally.Digital artist, Thanos Pappas, imagined what a Triton Ralliart might look like in digital renderings for CarsGuide back in July.The render shows it with approximately 50mm of additional ground clearance over the regular model thanks to new coil springs, higher-end dampers, thick all-terrain tyres and smaller off-road wheels.There’s an underbody skid plate integrated into the front bumper, while exterior and interior Ralliart badging would be a given.If we don’t see a Triton Ralliart, the alternative option could very well be our own special-edition Pajero Sport Ralliart – if not both.We know Mitsubishi is working on a new large SUV “halo” model, which is possibly the next-generation Pajero Sport. The current model debuted in 2015. Equally, it could be an all-new Pjero.The news was previously revealed to CarsGuide by Shaun Westcott.“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."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.”To us that suggests a LandCruiser 300 Series and Nissan Y62 Patrol rival could very well be in the works, probably for a 2026 release at the earliest.For now, though, only time will tell.

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.

Mitsubishi will whip the covers off an all-new seven-seat SUV concept that will embody "the future of family adventures" at the Philippine International Motor Show in just a week's time.