Mitsubishi Pajero returning in 2026 to rival Toyota Prado and Ford Everest

Mitsubishi has confirmed it will reveal a new flagship large SUV – rumoured to revive the Pajero name – before the end of 2026, targeting rivals such as the Ford Everest and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

The Japanese automaker confirmed the timing to CarExpert, after teasing the ladder-frame SUV earlier this year.

It’s expected to share its underpinnings with the current Triton ute as well as the new-generation Nissan Navara, revealed in 2025, with Mitsubishi and Nissan part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

The use of a ladder-frame architecture is preferred for off-road-focused vehicles and contrasts with the car-like monocoque construction of the Outlander, Mitsubishi’s best-selling model in New Zealand.

Platform sharing means the new SUV is also likely to adopt the Triton’s powertrain, currently a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 150kW and 470Nm, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

However, electrified power could also feature in the new ‘Pajero’ as there’s a hybrid Triton in development, which Mitsubishi says is being engineered independently of Nissan and Renault’s powertrains.

In addition to teasing the new SUV, Mitsubishi also revealed its Elevance Concept at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, a flagship SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, configurable seating, a full-width digital display and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) ‘Co-Driver’.

Mitsubishi has since dropped further hints about the potential lineup of the new ‘Pajero’.

This could include more rugged variants, similar to an SUV equivalent of the Triton Raider, which features Australian-tuned suspension, steering and all-terrain tyres.

Such a variant would position it against more off-road-focused variants of other large SUVs, such as the Ford Everest Tremor.

There’s also a new-generation Nissan Patrol Warrior on the horizon, which hasn’t been officially confirmed but has been spied testing in Australia. It’s expected within 12 months of the next-generation Y63 Patrol’s local arrival.

If Mitsubishi revives the Pajero name, it will mark the first time it has been used on a standalone model since global production ended in 2021, after a run in Australian showrooms dating back to 1983. The new SUV is expected to replace the Pajero Sport in New Zealand.