As part of its much-needed revitalization plan, Mitsubishi has announced a new pickup truck will arrive in the United States. It’s a cornerstone of the brand’s relaunch roadmap, which includes a handful of returning names like the Pajero and Montero. The automaker makes just four cars today, but the lineup will swell to six with the arrival of the new vehicles.
The truck, though, isn’t part of those six vehicles arriving next year. Instead, the brand has said it will collaborate with Nissan on a new truck for the North American market. Given Nissan makes just one truck (RIP Titan), it’s a good bet the new Mitsubishi truck will ride on the updated Frontier’s platform. A bit of badge engineering, then.
Just How “Nissan” Will Mitsubishi’s New Truck Be?
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The new Mitsubishi truck will likely borrow heavily from the upcoming Frontier truck. That means we can expect a midsize truck with a similar ethos to the Frontier: covering the spectrum from humble work truck to tricked-out off-roader. This isn’t a totally unkown frontier (pun intended) for the brand. From 2005-2009, the brand “produced” the Raider, a rebadged Dodge Dakota. Mitsubishi could revive that name or opt to bring a new name from one of its other markets into the States, like the Latin American Triton.
Given the similar platform, we also expect the new truck to look a lot like Nissan’s Frontier. When automakers use badge engineering to produce a car together, the body is often extremely similar between the two. Mitsubishi’s truck will likely have a different front and rear bumper, more in line with upcoming models like the brand’s Pajero and Eclipse Sportback, which will arrive next year. Expect the same inside, with similar infotainment and controls alongside Mitsubishi badging.
What’ll Be Under The Bodywork?
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The next Frontier, and therefore this truck, should use body-on-frame construction, just like the current Frontier. The truck will likely be more of a continuation of the current Frontier, given both Nissan’s budget and the current demand for the truck.
Under the hood will be new powertrains built by Nissan. The automaker has already said these will be electrified to some degree, but a fully electric version isn’t likely. The powertrain isn’t something most American truck buyers want, and a hybrid is a much safer bet for both brands. The extent of the hybridization isn’t known either. The trucks could be plug-ins, or use a larger battery and electric motors, sort of like Toyota’s i-Force Max powertrains, to deliver big torque and improved efficiency.
Mitsubishi’s new truck won’t be here for a while. The brand didn’t provide a timeline when it confirmed development, but we do know it’ll arrive after the brand’s 2027 slate of new models. That puts the truck into 2028 at the earliest, but more than anything, Nissan is the limiting factor. That won’t be here until 2028, which could push the Mitsubishi into the following model year. Expect pricing to be roughly on par with that truck, which could start around $36,000.
About the author
Chase Bierenkoven
Senior Editor, Autoblog