Mitsubishi Triton plug-in hybrid on the cards
The next generation of Mitsubishi's popular workhorse ute will almost certainly feature an electrified powertrain.
Mitsubishi has again hinted the next-generation Triton ute could be available with the option of plug-in hybrid power.
The company is well progressed with the design, engineering, and development of the new-generation Mitsubishi Triton which, using history as a guide, could be in showrooms by 2023 or 2024 – with previous timelines released by Mitsubishi in mid-2020 pointing to a launch by early 2023.
While the next Mitsubishi Triton will be shared with the next Nissan Navara – thanks to the recent tie-up between the two Japanese car giants, to save development costs – Mitsubishi is in fact leading the way on the development of the pick-up.
Because of its popularity in developing countries, diesel is still expected to be available.
However, Mitsubishi will also likely need to develop a hybrid option for countries with strict emissions.
Mitsubishi is already an expert at plug-in hybrid technology with the Outlander and Eclipse Cross PHEVs (plug-in hybrids).
At a briefing with Australian media this week, Owen Thomson, Mitsubishi’s senior manager of product strategy, said it was no secret the next-generation Triton would have the option of an electrified model.
“It’s certainly been from day one that consideration of electrification has been in the Triton plan,” Thomson said. “If you look at the ute market generally it’s clear that at some time during this decade there is going to be all sorts of forms of electrification of utes. It’s just a matter of what form that will take and when it happens in the market.”
Thomson conceded a petrol plug-in hybrid Triton might not suit all customers, citing those located remotely or mining companies as one subset of buyers where a plug-in hybrid would not prove viable. But when asked if a plug-in hybrid could be feasible in Australia, he added: “It can work [in Australia]. It very much depends on the user.
“There are certain different user groups that can take advantage of it, but for other user groups it may well be a disadvantage.
“Personally, I can’t see a petrol PHEV ute working for remote users on mining sites, they certainly don’t want to store explosive fuel on site. That’s the reason all the mining companies use diesel, they don’t use petrol, purely from a fuel safety management point of view on site.”
However, the ever-growing trend towards dual-cab utes as ‘lifestyle’ vehicles opens the door for a petrol plug-in hybrid version of the Triton.
“… [for] city-based users, a petrol PHEV ute is probably a good thing for them,” said Thomson. “This is the challenge for the ute market. There’s such a diverse range of buyers and needs, that it’s quite difficult sometimes to navigate your way through this.”
Drive first reported that Mitsubishi was investigating ways to introduce electrification into its popular Triton line-up back in 2019, with the company’s global chief operating officer, Ashwani Gupta stating: “Now we are working on how we are going to apply PHEV technology across our line-up. On the pick-up, let me say the Triton and Pajero Sport obviously we believe that it will need electrification.”
Mr Gupta added that the manufacturer was working to ensure a plug-in hybrid ute would fulfil the “specific requirements of the next Triton, which is towing capacity and payload, whether our existing PHEV technology will fulfil these specific requirements”.
But when asked if the new Triton range would feature a petrol or diesel hybrid drivetrain, Gupta added: “We are working on two or three options to come up with the right electrification strategy.”