2023 Mitsubishi Triton: What we all know

Mitsubishi Motors is busily late-stage testing its next-generation Triton/L200 ute, with an anticipated reveal earlier than the top of the present Japanese monetary 12 months in March 2023. 

As one in all Australia’s top-selling automobiles, a brand new Triton is of intense curiosity within the native market. 

This bigger new mannequin will provide a way more fashionable inside, a new-generation diesel engine, and will make use of Mitsubishi’s experience in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) know-how – finally.

The Triton has lengthy been an entry level for ute consumers that undercuts the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and all the remaining.

However as of late it’s additionally being challenged on the low-cost finish of the market by the Chinese language GWM Ute and LDV T60, plus South Korea’s SsangYong Musso.

The brand new Triton will kind the idea of the next-generation Nissan Navara, with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance pushing onerous to scale back overlap.

It’s not clear how differentiated they’ll be from a design standpoint: they might be very totally different like the brand new Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok siblings, or just like behold just like the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 twins.

Count on a reveal quickly

Mitsubishi used its ‘Small however Lovely’ marketing strategy, launched in June 2020 and up to date in Might 2021, to elucidate it will reveal the brand new Triton in FY2022-23.

The Japanese monetary 12 months goes from April 1 to March 31, so a launch by March 2023 is on the playing cards. That stated, we do dwell within the age of delays… 

With out giving a lot away, the corporate stated it was engaged on a “subsequent era diesel” and deliberate “enchancment of body mannequin efficiency” – referring to body-on-frame ladder chassis fashions. 

Given Mitsubishi considers ASEAN and Oceania as its key areas, count on an area launch fairly quickly after the reveal. 

It’ll look recognisable, but totally different

Firstly of July this 12 months our Europe-based spy photographers grabbed some snaps of this new mannequin for the primary time, in disguise and present process winter testing. 

That implies a lot of the event work is finished, with bodily prototypes as of late used extra for later-stage refinements and honing, as soon as laptop applications have executed their work.  

Beneath the camouflage, it appears to be like like the brand new mannequin is a bit longer total and when it comes to wheelbase, and doubtlessly wider given the present mannequin is sort of slim by as we speak’s requirements. 

These again doorways look to supply a bigger aperture, suggesting larger second-row consolation.

A brand new model of the present Triton’s signature sturdy shoulder line will characteristic, so too will the rear-side window which nonetheless kicks up close to the c-pillar. 

The brand new clamshell bonnet design appears to be like totally different, however the ‘Dynamic Protect’ grille and slim gentle singatures look extra evolutionary than revolutionary. The again window additionally appears to be like a little bit bigger. 

Australia performs a key position

Australia isn’t only a main marketplace for Triton gross sales, it additionally performs a job in growth.

“Triton is a very necessary product for us, and it’s a very necessary product for MMC globally, so we’ve been a part of that undertaking since day one,” Mitsubishi Australia senior supervisor of product technique Owen Thomson told us.

Meaning native growth and validation, and enter into the design from a really early stage utilizing market analysis and buyer suggestions.

“The opposite factor is the way in which the automobile drives, significantly round suspension. We have now enormous range round geography and situations, not simply climactic however in our highway situations.

“We’re of the assumption… if it really works in Australia it’s most likely going to work wherever,” Mr Thomson completed.

It’ll plug in, finally

Count on diesel to be the main focus at first, nevertheless there’s little question Mitsubishi will broaden its well-known PHEV know-how right into a industrial software. The corporate has already confirmed as a lot.

“It’s clear that a while throughout this decade there’s going to be all types of electrification of utes, it’s only a matter of what kind that can take and when it occurs,” explained Mr Thomson.

“It’s been into account from day one within the Triton plan.”

Plug-in hybrids provide day by day electrical driving with a combustion engine backup for longer journeys. Onboard batteries enable vehicle-to-load charging, and may energy instruments and different tools.

The mooted next-gen Triton Plug-in Hybrid would line-up in opposition to the PHEV model of Ford’s next-generation Australian-engineered Ranger, confirmed for launch by 2024 with a deal with Europe’s stringent CO2 caps.

Mitsubishi says PHEVs are a crucial gateway to the broader take-up of full-electric automobiles (EVs) within the Australian market, however provides not all industrial ute consumers will need the tech.

Count on a hardcore model

Automotive makers all know modified utes bought by sellers are enormous money cows. Take into account the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota HiLux Rogue, Volkswagen Amarok W Series, and Nissan Navara Warrior vary.

Mitsubishi appears extremely more likely to provide some form of flagship Triton, to function a halo mannequin. It’s not sufficient to be utilitarian, it is advisable be fascinating to promote on this market…

Staff Mitsubishi Ralliart just lately revealed a current-gen Triton-based off-road racer for the 2022 Asia Cross Nation Rally (AXCR), marking the Japanese model’s return to motorsport.

Keener followers may additionally recall the 2019 Triton Absolute idea, a raised and uprated idea Triton designed to “gauge public curiosity and suggestions”.

An organization as fiscally conservative as Mitsubishi doesn’t trouble doing both of this stuff except there’s some real-world relevance to the applications. Watch this house…

MORE: Everything Mitsubishi Triton