It’s been two years since the last Mitsubishi Pajero rolled off the assembly line. Since then, Mitsubishi hasn’t mentioned anything about making a new-generation model. Sure, there’s the Montero Sport, but there’s several of you out there wondering if Mitsubishi will ever revive the Pajero.
As it turns out, Mitsubishi also wants to bring back the iconic SUV at some point. During a recent press discussion with Australian motoring media, Koichi Namiki, executive officer responsible for product at Mitsubishi Motors, expressed interest in bringing it back. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing an all-new Pajero anytime soon, but it does show that Mitsubishi still has much love for the Pajero.
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Per Australian publication CarExpert, Namiki said that Pajero is ‘not finished’ and remains ‘the heart of our brand’. But if Mitsubishi were to start development on the fifth-generation model, it prefers to do it on its own terms rather than fully relying on its fellow Alliance members, Renault and Nissan. “If we do that, of course we want to control everything. We might utilize some of the Alliance systems and components, but we would like to produce our vehicle,” said Namiki.
If (and that’s a big IF) Mitsubishi gets its way, that means the next-generation Patrol won’t be sharing major components with the next-gen Pajero should Mitsubishi push through with reviving the SUV. Either way, the all-new Nissan Patrol could be revealed within a year or two, so the window for co-developing with Mitsubishi is probably closed. But if Mitsubishi does development mostly on its own, that means we shouldn’t be expecting a new Pajero anytime soon.
Namiki told the Australian motoring press that an all-new Pajero is a ‘high-priority’ product for him personally. However, he did admit that it’s not the highest priority within Mitsubishi due to ‘changing priorities’ within the brand, along with its drive towards electrification and ever tightening emission regulations worldwide. Still, the fact that the Pajero is still held in high regard within Mitsubishi should give some Pajero fans hope of its return someday.
