Mitsubishi Triton News

To torture a well worn Mark Twain reference, if Australia’s 2025 new vehicle sales numbers are anything to go by, reports of the diesel engine’s death are greatly exaggerated.According to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFacts registration data, for the full calendar year of 2025 diesel-powered vehicles across passenger, SUV and light commercial segments totalled 364,605 units, only 1.7 per cent lower than 2024’s overall number (370,818).In fact, sales of diesel-powered passenger cars were up 1.3 per cent year-on-year (10,372 vs 10,242) with diesel SUV sales rising no less than 6.0 per cent (122,603 vs 115,670).Diesel light-commercial sales were down 5.4 per cent (231,630 vs 244,906) while plug-in hybrid commercials went from zero in 2024 to 20,634 last year.A coincidence that 18,073 examples of BYD’s Shark 6 PHEV dual cab ute found homes last year? We think not.The Ford Ranger was the best selling vehicle in 2025, but it wasn't alone at the top.Traditional diesel-heavy sellers the Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Everest and Toyota Prado filled the third to sixth slots on the 2025 overall sales leader board with others such as the Mitsubishi Triton lifting year-on-year volume, too. Only the second placed Toyota RAV4 Hybrid managed to break up diesel's dominance atop the new car sales charts last year.Of course, nothing stays the same forever and given the rapidly shifting form of the Australian new vehicle market and the increasing impact of the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) regime there’s a chance the diesel engine’s status may have changed dramatically by the end of 2026.But for now, it appears diesel power isn’t headed for the automotive graveyard just yet.  Australian diesel vehicle registrations:

Mitsubishi has just slapped a new face on its popular Triton workhorse, but there’s a catch.The new look ute is a special edition only available in Thailand, dubbed the Mega Cab Street Edition. But could it point to a future new look Aussie version?Thailand is where the majority of Aussie-bound utes are built, and the South-East Asian nation is more mad for utes than Aussies, so they sometimes get special treats not for us.It is still very rare that a model gets a completely new face for one variant, which could point to a future facelift for the polarising-looking ute.The current Triton was launched in Australia in early 2024, which means it isn’t due for a proper facelift for a few years yet, but the company might tweak its styling to help boost sales.The biggest change is a new front grille. The Street Edition ditches the three slate grille design of the standard Triton for a blacked-out layout that has shades of the brand’s diamond badge theme.The front lighting signature varies slightly with the bottom fog lights featuring a tweaked shape. And the coloured highlights connecting the three levels of front lighting are gone, too.The lower bumper has been changed to black rather than body colour, which combined with the black grille gives it a meaner look.There aren't the same chrome highlights which feature on several Aussie delivered models.Thai-delivered vehicles are less well equipped than Australian versions, and the Street Edition is a base low-riding version. This means there isn’t much to crow about.It has 17-inch black alloy wheels, and it is only available with a Mega Cab layout, which is a two seat cabin with a sizeable storage area behind (usually called extra cab in Aus).Mitsubishi and other big-name ute makers are under pressure from a wave of new, affordable models arriving from China.These models are often updated very quickly in response to customer demand and feedback, which may force some more established rivals to follow suit and make running changes to vehicles outside the four to five year mid-life update schedule.

Despite a huge onslaught of fresh competition in the Australian ute market, November new car registration figures show established players continue to lead the category by a healthy margin.

All-electric off-roaders were all the rage just a year or so ago, but now demand has tapered off.

The BYD Shark 6 is one of the best-selling plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) in Australia and it has caught the attention of many automotive engineers who are looking into why it is so popular.

Australian new car market continues to shift in October 2024.

Mitsubishi has quietly increased the price of its Outlander SUV and Triton ute without updating the models, but it’s all normal business according to the brand.CarsGuide spotted the small price increase recently applied to Mitsubishi’s two most popular models.The Outlander’s price has increased by $750 across all grades apart from the entry-level ES - which retains its $39,990 list price.Prices for the Triton’s 4x2 line-up have gone up by $250 for the GLX single-cab which now lists for $34,740 and $400 for the GLX dual-cab at $44,090. Meanwhile, the 4x4 Triton range has seen increases of between $250 to $750 for all grades apart from the top-of-the-range GSR dual-cab pick-up which is now $1450 pricier and lists for $64,590. Despite the increase in price neither the Outlander nor Triton come with any change of specification. Mitsubishi told CarsGuide the price increase was part of business.“The changes were part of the ongoing price assessment, taking into account market fluctuations, exchange rates and other factors,” a Mitsubishi spokesperson said.While the Outlander’s latest price increase may not correspond to any increase in value, it should be noted the SUV underwent a significant update in April and July this year. The upgrades brought new styling inside and out, also adding extra safety tech which ensured it maintained its maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was assessed in September.Safety upgrades to the Triton also meant the ute was able to retain its five star ANCAP rating when it was tested in May this year.The Triton and Outlander are by far the best-selling models for Mitsubishi in Australia. Total 2024 sales of both came to 45,690 units, accounting for more than half the sales of all the brand’s models.

Mitsubishi is moving fast, but it could leave one of its core models looking out of place.

Mitsubishi warns it can't chase Chinese brands on price, and there are other factors buyers should consider.

Mitsubishi warns there's a big market correction coming, and automakers have to act to survive.