New Pajero to herald a new era for Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi wants to capture the adventurous nature of the original Pajero with its newest SUV as it targets growth through brand recognition.

2 hours ago

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Max Davies

Marketplace Journalist

Max Davies

Marketplace Journalist

It's been 20 years since the world received a new version of the iconic Mitsubishi Pajero, and with ever-increasing competition creating a more crowded global automotive market than ever, the Japanese brand believes it's time to return to its roots to spark sales growth.

The 2027 Pajero revives Mitsubishi's legendary SUV for a fifth generation and marks the nameplate's return after the most recent iteration exited production in 2021. As Mitsubishi has fielded an incredibly limited lineup of three (now two) SUVs and one ute since then – at least in Australia – it's also an incredibly important model for the brand.

Sporting Triton-based underpinnings and therefore shifting away from the monocoque construction of the previous two generations, the brand says the new Pajero is intended to rekindle some of the character that made the nameplate famous in the past.

Indeed, Mitsubishi Motors chief product specialist Kunitoshi Itagaki said the Pajero's reintroduction was part of an ambition to remind people what the brand was all about.

A grey Mitsubishi Pajero SUV navigating rocky terrain in a canyon, seen from the rear three-quarter angle

"In outlining our new mid-to-long-term vision, we are committed to introducing products that embody Mitsubishi Motors' DNA, including our strengths – capability, durability, and reliability – as part of our overall growth strategy," he told media, including CarExpert.

"The Pajero is a model that has long represented these core strengths in the past, and we believe it's really ideally positioned, not only to enhance our product lineup, but also the strength of the Mitsubishi Motors brand.

"Brand is really important for our growth, we think, and the Pajero is a really core product. This is our thinking."

Mitsubishi's mid-to-long-term vision, announced in May 2026, is to "enhance customer satisfaction and corporate value by strengthening our distinctive products and brand", motivated by the self-proclaimed need to "remain competitive" and strengthen the brand's "presence in the industry".

A brown Mitsubishi Pajero SUV driving on a dusty road, seen from the front-side angle with a blurred green background

At the Pajero's global reveal in Japan, Mitsubishi Motors president Kishiura Keisuke declared the SUV was the first model to launch under that new vision, designating it a "flagship model that will lead the Mitsubishi Motors brand forward".

"The all-new Pajero is not simply the revival of a popular model of the past; we regard it as a valuable brand asset that symbolises Mitsubishi Motors technology," Itagaki-san said.

"So, reliability and spirit of adventure being imagined to meet today's customer needs, it's being introduced as a flagship model that represents the future of the Mitsubishi Motors brand."

Pajero is one of Mitsubishi's most well-known and recognisable nameplates. First launched in 1982 as an off-road-capable SUV that still maintained some of the comfort of a passenger car, it has persisted through four generations, the most recent of which was in production from 2006 to 2021.

Mitsubishi later applied the Pajero Sport nameplate to a smaller, Triton-based SUV, which this new Pajero also effectively replaces.

A dark blue Mitsubishi Pajero short-wheelbase wagon seen from the front-side in a studio setting — First-generation Pajero

A 1994 Mitsubishi Pajero second-generation SUV shown from the front-side angle in a studio setting — Second-generation Pajero

A black Mitsubishi Pajero GDI large SUV photographed in a studio setting, seen from the front-left angle — Third-generation Pajero

The new fifth-generation model is a significant departure in some ways from its predecessors, but Mitsubishi maintains it'll still offer the same rugged yet versatile capability as before. It's also expected that this seven-seat model will eventually offer hybrid power, while the brand may roll out additional vehicles bearing the Pajero name.

"By making it easier for customers to associate Mitsubishi Motors with our distinctive values, we aim to support the success of the broader family of off-road-oriented vehicles," Itagaki-san said.

"So, as I want to explain, 'brand' is really key for our future growth, and then Pajero has our really strong heritage and kind of the core of Mitsubishi Motors. That's why, now, we introduce the all-new Pajero to show our future and our core identity with this model.

"All-new Pajero embodies Mitsubishi Motors, and its completion is the result of the passion, dedication, and hard work of those involved in its development, testing, and design."