Next Pajero Sport or Delica? Mitsubishi teases mystery new model

In a surprise development, Mitsubishi has released the first teaser image of a new unnamed model confirmed for unveiling at the Tokyo Mobility Show in Japan next month.

One of two

Devoid of any information as to the identity of the newcomer, the blackened image shows what appears to be the rear facia of an SUV-style model based on the position of the headrests and window design.

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Sporting horizonal T-shaped LED light clusters, an illuminated Mitsubishi diamond logo and vertical LED fog lamps on the flanks of the bumper, the apparent boxy design doesn’t disclose much else, with Mitsubishi saying the model will be a “unique, fulfilling mobility lifestyle [option] that excites drivers’ spirit of adventure”.

Based on the statement accompanying the image, the automaker references the newcomer as being an embodiment of three models; the Pajero, Delica MPV and plug-in hybrid Outlander PHEV that has consistently rated as one of the best-selling models in Europe since the debut of the last generation over a decade ago.

Delica case

In making its own assumption, Australia’s carsguide.com.au alleges the image points to either the next generation Pajero Sport or all-new Delica as being the incoming model due to the Outlander having premiered in 2021.

Hailing from 2007 as one of Mitsubishi’s oldest offerings in that it still makes of the GS platform co-developed with the long gone DaimlerChrysler group, the current Delica, known as the Delica D:5, has been known to be under consideration for markets outside Japan for more than five years.

“Over the years we have looked at the Delica a number of times. We continue to get a lot of customer enquiries about this model which is why we are studying it again.

“We are even considering bringing a Japanese spec model here for evaluation,” former Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO, John Signoriello, told motoring.com.au at the time.

In January this year, Mitsubishi Motors South Africa sprung a surprise of its own by showcasing the Delica in a product presentation as part of its product preview for 2023, before confirming it to be under investigation for the local market.

“We must make sure we become a household name again in South Africa again. Mitsubishi Motors South Africa believes that there is still room for growth in the segments that we compete in and will continue to offer our customers the latest in terms of product, while sticking to the values that make Mitsubishi products what they are,” General Manager for Marketing Jeff Allison told the media at the said event.

A grey market favourite once sold in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s through the Samcor joint venture as the Mitsubishi Starwagon and its badge engineered sibling, the Ford Husky, the Delica last received a major overhaul in 2019 with mostly spec changes having taken place since then.

Providing seating for seven or eight, motivation comes from a 2.2 DI-D turbodiesel engine that replaced the initially available 2.4-litre petrol entirely in 2019 with its 130kW/380Nm being fed to the front or four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Unique to the latter is an electronically locking centre differential, a mode selector with three settings; 2WD, 4WD Auto and 4WD Lock, and option of all-terrain tyres.

Pajero Sport successor

Opposite of the Delica, the all-new Pajero Sport has remained largely under wraps ever since the debut of the new Triton in Bangkok two months ago.

Already the recipient of two facelifts since the debut of the current third generation in 2015, the Pajero Sport, like the Delica, didn’t receive any mentioning as being one of the six models Mitsubishi had planned for unveiling in 2023 as part of its Challenge 2025 strategy announced in March.

Both do, however, form part of the bigger 16 model before 2025 roll-out which will additionally include a new three-row SUV the Pajero Sport could preview should it be the model depicted in the teaser.

Back in January, Mitsubishi’s Vice-President and Head of Vehicle Engineering Hiroshi Masuoka admitted that while no plans are being made to revive the full-size Pajero, stretching the Pajero Sport’s platform, which originates from the Triton, to accommodate a model above it presents a more practical and viable undertaking.

“Pajero Sport has the potential to be stretched, to grow more. Performance, comfort, the bodywork, and the powertrain itself. We believe the Pajero Sport has that potential,” Masuoka, who twice on the Dakar Rally behind the wheel of a Pajero in 2002 and 2003, told carsguide.com.au at the time.

More soon

For now, little else is known about the newcomer, however, expect more details in the form of clearer teasers to emerge over the coming weeks.

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