Mitsubishi Motors has confirmed it will reveal its next-generation rival for the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux on July 26 at an event in Thailand.
In the lead up to the reveal of the sixth-generation Mitsubishi Triton, the Japanese carmaker has published a set of shadowy teaser images that show off some of the production ute’s exterior design. It has also uploaded a YouTube video.
It’s expected the new Triton will arrive in Australia late in 2023 or early in 2024.
“Australia is a core market globally for Mitsubishi Motors, and we have been a key stakeholder in the next-generation Triton’s development process,” said a Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson.
“The light commercial utility segment is more competitive than [ever], and we are confident that next-generation Triton will take Mitsubishi’s enduring presence in this market to the next level.
“We look forward to sharing more details of the development process, and of the new Triton’s Australian range, specification, timings and pricing as we move towards delivering this next-generation utility vehicle to Australian customers.”
The new Triton has a “beefed-up body” that’s quite blocky and bluff. There’s a split headlight setup up front, as well as roof rails and a sports bar on the teased model.
On the inside it appears to have a tablet-style touchscreen infotainment system mounted high on the dashboard, a row of piano key buttons for the climate controls, as well as the Super Select II 4WD dial with a full-time four-wheel drive mode.
Initially teased by the XRT concept, the new Triton will ride on a new platform, and feature a new diesel engine under the bonnet at launch.
As part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s leader-follower model, Mitsubishi is leading development of the Triton, with the next Nissan Navara set to share underpinnings but with different styling.
Although plug-in hybrid power had been mooted for the new Mitsubishi ute, executives have confirmed the technology is under study for the Triton rather than locked in. Were it to reveal a Triton PHEV, the brand has confirmed it would follow the pure-electric ute it intends to reveal after 2025.
Last year, the Mitsubishi Trition was Australia’s third best-selling ute with 27,436 sales, behind the Toyota HiLux (64,391 sales) and Ford Ranger (47,479 sales).
It’s also comfortably the best-selling Mitsubishi in Australia, ahead of the Outlander and ASX crossovers.
