Flagship Mitsubishi Triton expected soon
BY TUNG NGUYEN | 13th Nov 2018
MITSUBISHI Motors Corporation is expected to unveil its long-mooted flagship Triton ute soon, as the Japanese brand gauges interest in an accessorised version of the pick-up revealed alongside the facelifted model in Thailand last week.
Speaking to journalists in Bangkok at the reveal of the new Triton, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation senior vice-president of global sales and marketing Guillaume Cartier confirmed that the company was working on a halo variant of the new pick-up.
“To be successful on pick-up, if you want to be successful, you need to have enough advancement on the lifecyle plan, and within that, you need to have some variant that is a bit iconic – so that is something we are working on,” he said.
“We will have some things, I cannot tell you now because that is all you will focus on now, but we will have something that will give us the pleasure to speak together again.”
When pressed by GoAuto on rumours that the mooted flagship would be dubbed the Triton Ralliart – Mitsubishi’s motorsport division and a moniker used to denote sportier versions of the Lancer and Colt hatchback in the past – Mr Cartier simply answered: “I will come to see you in Australia.”
While some reports have suggested the top-spec Triton would take on the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor and its 157kW/500Nm biturbo diesel engine, GoAuto now understands it will stray more towards a cosmetic upgrade rather than a performance one.
As such, the Triton Ralliart could be positioned around the circa-$60,000 price point as a Mitsubishi alternative to the likes of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota HiLux Rugged X and HSV SportsCat.
Pricing for the facelifted Triton has yet to be revealed, but the outgoing version is topped by the $48,990 (before on-road costs) dual-cab Exceed, giving Mitsubishi clear air for a high-spec pick-up.
In revealing the facelifted Triton in Thailand, Mitsubishi also showed a modified version of the new pick-up, sporting added accessories such as a sportsbar, blacked-out wheels and eye-catching orange paintwork, as well as a rear quarter sticker proclaiming ‘Triton Plus’.
The company did not reveal engine outputs, accessories used or the moniker, but Mitsubishi said it was gauging interest in such a variant before confirming it for production.
The just-revealed facelifted Triton is powered by a carryover 133kW/430Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine, which is available paired to a six-speed manual, five-speed automatic, or new six-speed self-shifter.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation corporate vice-president of product planning Vincent Cobee told GoAuto that the company was acutely aware of pick-up market developments, and hinted that Mitsubishi’s response to models like the Ranger Wildtrak was due soon.
“That’s a very interesting trend (accessorised, lifestyle utes),” he said. “There is always that misconception that a pick-up is only a (work) vehicle, (but) it’s mostly mixed usage.
“There is also, I would say, 90 per cent personal usage type of pick-ups, and we have seen in the past couple of years the appearance of that high performance, high styling, high toughness …
“Somewhere in our long menu of Christmas wish list, we intend to address that question.”
