Next Mitsubishi Delica people-mover on wish list for Australia

The next generation of the Mitsubishi Delica people mover – recently previewed as a futuristic concept car at the Tokyo motor show – could join the line-up in Australia in the coming years.

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott told Drive the next-generation Delica people-mover is on the company's wish list, after bringing the current model to the country for evaluation by media, including Drive.

"We did bring a Delica to Australia … two years ago, [the] current generation Delica, and we've handed the keys over to a number of journalists who've driven it," Mr Westcott said, adding that the vehicle was also given to dealerships across the country to evaluate.

MORE: New Mitsubishi Delica previewed by plug-in hybrid D:X Concept

"The good news is that in the interim, between that time we bought that vehicle and between the time we took on a lot of that feedback, Hey Presto – Tokyo Mobility Show, and guess what? There's a concept car there, we've put up our hand, we've asked for it," he explained.

The Delica hasn't been sold by Mitsubishi in Australia since 1999 when it was in its fourth generation, but the sixth-generation model was shown as a plug-in hybrid concept with rugged, futuristic styling and mud-terrain tyres.

"I can't tell you that it's coming to Australia, other than to say that a lot of the feedback that we've received from journalists particularly and also from dealers has been very, very favourable and they're going, 'Wow, that's a great product!'," Mr Westcott said.

MORE: People Movers are cool – The case for the Mitsubishi Delica

While Hyundai and Volkswagen offer people-movers with all-wheel drive, there are currently no vehicles on sale in Australia in that particular category designed for off-road driving.

"We do have some really unique products with some exceptional technology in them that I think gives us a potentially a niche market and a competitive edge in a certain space," said Mr Westcott, revealing he had driven the next-generation Delica on an off-road course while in Japan recently.

"We will continue to assess and evaluate from a plethora of platforms that are available to us and select the best ones for the Australian market."