The all-new Mitsubishi Pajero was only revealed on September 2, and already, the automotive community is speculating on what its next version will be. But really, we can’t blame anyone for looking so far ahead this soon.
After all, even before the revived SUV was unveiled, reports had already hinted that the Pajero could be offered in different body types down the line. And to add more fuel to the speculation fire, Mitsubishi had also shared that it plans to release 13 new vehicles over the next five years. Those include the recently revealed Pajero and several unnamed SUVs with electrified powertrains.
While we wouldn’t want to churn the rumor mill and give you false hope, Mitsubishi president Keisuke Kishiura just shared that the company is currently studying “standard and plug-hybrid powertrains” for the Pajero. He revealed this initiative in an interview with Automotive News.
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Admittedly, it’s easy to think that Mitsubishi could just swap the Pajero’s turbodiesel engine for an uprated version of Outlander’s plug-in hybrid system. The Pajero already shares many components with its stablemates, after all—like its engine and chassis from the Triton, and the latest evolution of the Dynamic Shield motif first worn by the XForce and the Destinator.
At the same time, Mitsubishi does not have an established EV platform to build a Pajero on, nor a hybrid chassis for larger vehicles. But it also wouldn’t be surprising if Mitsubishi decided to build a new electrified system and launch it on the Pajero—similar to what the Ford Mustang Mach-E or the Toyota Land Cruiser Hybrid did. In this industry, there’s a lot in a name, and attaching the Pajero nameplate to fresh innovations could buy some immediate credibility.
However, it’s probably not that simple, and the Pajero hasn’t even reached consumers yet. This first production run will likely inform the future of the SUV and the variants that will come from it.
Do you think Mitsubishi should launch a plug-in hybrid Pajero? Or should the Japanese carmaker swing for the fences and debut a fully electric model?
