By now, you probably know that Mitsubishi has a busy few years ahead of it. After all, the company presented its mid-term goals for the decade and announced several upcoming models we can expect in within the decade.
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) recently showed the XFC Concept in the Philippines and mentioned the local mid-term goals for the next five years. Of course, MMPC didn’t say when exactly these future models are coming out. All the company said is that we can expect five in the next five years.
So, what can we expect? Here are some of the cars we’d love to see from Mitsubishi launch here soon.
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Strada/Triton
This one is pretty much confirmed already. The global arm of Mitsubishi Motors announced the launch date of the next-generation Strada/Triton, and it’s slated for July 26, 2023. Much has been said about this truck, which is why we’re even more excited to see it make its world premiere in about a month. Expectations are riding high on this model, especially since the 2020s have kicked off a new wave of more high-tech and feature-packed pickup trucks.
XFC (production version)
It may not have a name yet, but Mitsubishi has confirmed the premiere of the road-going version of the XFC Concept. After seeing it in person, this model appears to be a more direct competitor to the Hyundai Creta, the entry-level Honda HR-V, and, for other countries, the Toyota Yaris Cross. It slots right in the B-SUV segment, and we’re almost certain that it’s no Raize competitor. Almost. As for name candidates, we’ve been seeing Outlander Sport, Colt, and Lancer being recent trademark filings by Mitsubishi Motors.
Xpander Hybrid
The current-generation Mitsubishi Xpander is the senior of the subcompact seven-seat MPV class. Introduced worldwide in late 2017, it’s already six years old and ripe for a full model change. With that, we could expect it to arrive sometime this decade, per the mid-term goal plan of Mitsubishi Motors. Besides that, the company mentioned that it will make a hybrid version of its popular MPV. Given that that Suzuki is giving it a shot with its mild-hybrid Ertiga and XL7, we could see Mitsubishi kicking it up a notch by introducing full hybrids in the segment.
Outlander/Outlander PHEV
If you’re a part of the Interesting Car Spotting PH Facebook group, you probably saw a post that showed the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. It even sported a conduction sticker, and it also appears to be an official unit of MMPC. That said, it could simply be a model for evaluation, so we’re not jumping the gun just yet. Of course, it would be nice to have the new Outlander here, whether it’s in standard guise or with a plug-in hybrid system. We’d like to see Mitsubishi have another crack at the compact crossover segment.
Montero Sport
We might have to wait a little longer for this one. While Mitsubishi is ready to pull the covers off the all-new Strada/Triton, the company is taking its time for the next-gen Montero Sport. Better known by our ASEAN neighbors as the Pajero Sport, the pickup platform vehicle (PPV) is expected to roll out by 2025 according to the company’s timeline. Expectations? Mitsubishi says it will be more like a Pajero and less of a Strada with a wagon body.
Bonus: Mystery MPV
But let’s say one of the cars above won’t be launched in the country. Well, there is another model that could take its place. If we take another look at Mitsubishi’s corporate timeline, there was an MPV included in the list. There was no name included, but it’s likely to be larger than the Xpander. Does this mean Mitsubishi is coming up with an Innova competitor? It’s hard to say at the moment, so it can either be an Adventure revival or a new generation of the Delica that could (finally) come in left-hand drive.
