Mitsubishi Triton, Pajero hybrid confirmed as part of major Thai investment – report

Mitsubishi Motors already widely exports diesel-powered vehicles from Thailand, and now it wants to turn the country into an export hub for electrified vehicles.

It’s investing an additional 16 billion baht (~A$681 million) in its Thai facilities until 2030.

Unusually, a press release on the Thai government’s official website – translated to English – says Mitsubishi is focusing its investment on “electric vehicle technology” and is “studying the possibility of producing and exporting electric pickup trucks, including the Pajero, using Thailand as a production base”.

However, this may be a mistranslation, given Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato recently told shareholders the company wouldn’t develop electric vehicles (EVs) in-house and would instead rely on partners such as Foxtron and Nissan.

Nikkei Asia reports the investment will be in “electrified” vehicles, including the Pajero and unspecified pickup trucks. That points to hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the next-generation SUV and the Triton ute with which it will share its ladder-frame platform.

Mitsubishi confirmed in 2023 it was studying both hybrid and electric powertrains for the Triton, which at the time were in the "advanced engineering phase". The company had previously confirmed it was working on an electric ute for launch by 2028, though there's been radio silence on that vehicle ever since.

“In future, we think that BEV is also required for [a] pickup truck, but the question is timing: when we should introduce a BEV?” Mitsubishi's global chief of engineering and product strategy, Hiroshi Nagaoka, told Australian media in 2023.

“And before a BEV, we also need to think about some other kind of electrified vehicle, such as a hybrid or a PHEV."

He indicated a hybrid Triton would arrive first, and that the company was weighing whether to go electric or plug-in hybrid as a next step.

“Most likely we will go first with the HEV, then after that, maybe considering the battery improvement, PHEV, or battery EV,” said Nagaoka-san, noting that Mitsubishi wouldn’t use Alliance partner Nissan’s e-Power hybrid technology – a decision the company reiterated in 2025.

“If it’s a HEV we can use the current frame. So in the short term, that would be a very good solution," he said, noting an electric or PHEV powertrain would require an extensive reworking of the platform.

In 2023, Mitsubishi said it didn't see a lot of demand for PHEV pickup trucks.

A lot has changed in a short space of time, however. Last year, just 827 sales separated the Triton from the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6, which at the time was only offered in a single dual-cab variant.

The Triton was the 17th best-selling vehicle in Australia with 18,900 deliveries in 2025, ahead of the Shark 6 in 18th place with 18,073 units.

Customer deliveries of the Shark 6 commenced in Australia early in 2025, and the BYD was quickly followed by PHEV versions of the top-selling Ford Ranger, as well as the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.

BYD has also launched plug-in hybrid off-road SUVs in the shape of the Denza B5 and B8, while GWM has its Tank 500 PHEV.

GWM offered a conventional hybrid version of the Tank 500, which would have shaped as a logical rival for a hybrid Pajero were it not being phased out in Australia. Meanwhile, Toyota has launched a hybrid version of its LandCruiser 300 Series.

The new Pajero, being a Triton-based SUV, is more of a successor to the outgoing Pajero Sport than the defunct Pajero. It's set to be revealed on September 2, 2026 per Japanese reports.

It's unclear whether Mitsubishi's upcoming electrified Triton and Pajero will use a diesel or a petrol engine. The aforementioned BYD, Ford and GWM models all feature a petrol engine, and this would likely be more desirable for the US market where Mitsubishi is reportedly weighing selling the new Pajero.

While diesel hybrids are much less common, Chery is launching its Stockman diesel PHEV ute this year, and GWM has also confirmed it's developing diesel hybrid and diesel PHEV powertrains which will enter production in 2027.

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