For the first time, Mitsubishi Motors has officially confirmed that the all-new Pajero will be offered with more powertrains and will spawn a family of off-road-centric vehicles.
Speaking to Automotive News, Mitsubishi Motors President Keisuke Kishiura said that despite limited financial resources, the carmaker deemed it the right time to launch the re-born Pajero. Kishiura notes the strong demand globally for full-fledged cross-country SUVs as the main factor in bringing back the nameplate after around five years of absence.
Without saying so directly, the Pajero is going against the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol in a bid to capture more affluent customers for Mitsubishi.
And with Toyota already spinning off the Land Cruiser into three separate nameplates—the Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado, and Land Cruiser FJ, Mitsubishi will also do the same.
For the first time, Kishiura has categorically said that Mitsubishi is going to release two additional Pajero-branded SUVs. These will be smaller and more compact than the model already shown.
In addition, Kishiura has said that Mitsubishi is also studying to shoehorn more powertrains including a traditional gasoline engine, a self-charging hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrain for possible deployment within the new Pajero family.
For now, the Pajero uses the 2.4-liter MIVEC Diesel 4N16 engine but fitted with a new wide-range single-variable-geometry turbocharger that improves acceleration and responsiveness. And while it also uses the Triton’s basic ladder platform, its rigidity has been increased for better stability and durability.
Will the new Pajero be the replacement of the Montero Sport?
ReplyDeleteIt will sit above the Montero Sport and be positioned as their flagship model. The Montero Sport will still continue production, but it is unknown if there will still be major updates down the line.
DeleteVery likely a Pajero Sport would be a smaller, more affordable model that'll slot below the Pajero.
DeleteMaybe a model to compete with Cruiser FJ?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's highly likely.
DeleteUsing the Triton platform for the flagship Pajero was a smart play by Mitsubishi. Being based on the pickup, it is classified as a PPV, meaning it falls into the special lower tax bracket for PPVs and pickups in Thailand, but it doesn't look like a wagonized pickup like all other PPVs (Hilux/Fortuner, D-Max/MU-X, Ranger/Everest, Strada/Montero Sport). The money they saved on this was used to just refine further the Triton underpinnings, the exterior, and interior to the point that it is only a PPV in the barest sense and a lot more substantial than a typical PPV. I think it fills the gap between the PPVs and the LC250 nicely.
ReplyDelete