Mitsubishi Pajero lineup to expand with RAV4-sized SUV, Suzuki Jimny rival – report

The Mitsubishi Pajero SUV is due to return to Australian showrooms by the end of 2026, and it will be the first of a broader Pajero model lineup.

Nikkei Asia reports Mitsubishi will follow the new ladder-frame Pajero SUV's arrival with two more SUVs also wearing the Pajero name.

The automaker confirmed in May 2026 it intended to use the return of the Pajero nameplate to spearhead a range of more rugged, off-road-focused SUVs set apart from its passenger models.

Nikkei Asia reports this will include a Toyota RAV4-sized SUV, expected in 2028 or 2029, and sold as a more off-road-capable alternative to the Mitsubishi Outlander.

For context, the Outlander measures 4720mm long, 1862mm wide and 1745mm tall on a 2706mm wheelbase.

Representing a significant opportunity for Mitsubishi, with SUV sales in Australia continuing to increase, the new SUV will reportedly use components from the Outlander to speed up development and reduce costs.

However, it will reportedly use a dedicated, Mitsubishi-developed platform. It therefore won't be a rebadged Nissan, despite that brand planning a new family of body-on-frame SUVs.

The two Japanese brands are part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, with all three using each other's models in badge-engineering agreements.

The most prominent example is the Nissan Navara ute, launched in Australia in 2026 as a restyled, rebadged version of the latest Mitsubishi Triton, which arrived in 2024. The third-generation Nissan Leaf electric crossover is also sold in North America as the Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback EV.

A third Pajero SUV expected around 2030 will be a more compact kei-class model, potentially reviving the Pajero Mini name previously used in Japan.

The smallest Pajero sold in Australia was the Pajero iO, a 3710mm-long compact SUV offered here in three- and five-door body styles between 1999 and 2002. However, the Pajero Mini was offered in Japan between 1994 and 2012 and in its first generation measured just 3295mm long.

The new model would give the brand a rival to the ladder-frame Suzuki Jimny, the top-selling vehicle in Suzuki Australia showrooms by a significant margin and one with a cult-like following. However, it appears likely the smallest Pajero family member will use car-like unibody construction.

The new baby Pajero is expected to feature all-wheel drive and high ground clearance so as to fit in with the rest of the off-road-focused Pajero family.

As previously reported by Nikkei Asia, Mitsubishi is developing hybrid-powered replacements for the ASX and Outlander. Given it'll share components with the Outlander, the new mid-size member of the Pajero family could potentially borrow its plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or upcoming hybrid powertrains.

For the baby Pajero, it's possible Mitsubishi could use the hybrid powertrain from the Mitsubishi Xforce sold overseas, including in New Zealand where it's known as the Outlander Sport.

The Xforce pairs a 97kW/134Nm 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with an 85kW/255Nm electric motor and continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels.

Using this powertrain would keep the new SUV out of the kei class, where engines can't exceed 660cc in capacity, but it could still be particularly pint-sized like the old Pajero Jr, which was based off the Pajero Mini but featured a larger engine among other changes. Notably, Suzuki offers both kei and regular versions of the Jimny in Japan.

The Pajero range expansion is part of Mitsubishi's 2023 plan for 16 new global models by the end of 2028, including nine electrified models made up of EVs and hybrid offerings.

The arrival of the new large Pajero and the new Foxtron-based EV (whose name is yet to be confirmed) should give Mitsubishi Australia a much-needed boost.

Sales between January and July 2026 were down 27.4 per cent year on year, with the Triton the only Mitsubishi model to post an increase in volume.

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