Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart on the cards with more power

Mitsubishi has given the best indication yet there is an intention to launch a high-performance Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart ute to rival the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota HiLux GR Sport and Nissan Navara Warrior.

Company executives say a high-performance variant of the new-generation Triton is "under consideration", and plans are yet to be finalised for a flagship version of Mitsubishi's all-new ute.

The chief product specialist for the new Mitsubishi Triton now said a range of Ralliart variants are on the cards – from an appearance pack for the standard vehicle, to a full Ford Ranger Raptor competitor with more power than regular models.

"In the pick-up we have a base [standard] model – we have different versions based on the customer. And then [we could have a] sports version, a rally version – a Ralliart maybe? I don’t know," chief product specialist Yoshiki Masuda told Australian media.

When asked the direction Mitsubishi would take with a Triton Ralliart – suspension, tyre and visual upgrades only, as per the Nissan Navara Warrior and Toyota HiLux GR Sport, or more comprehensive changes including more power – Masuda-san said:

"It’s now in consideration. But when we introduce the Ralliart maybe in the future, we would have some grades.

"Some people want to have cosmetic [changes] to get an affordable price, but some people [want] a super powerful and sporty model.

"Maybe we want to set several grades depending on customer preference for different sporty models."

The 2.4-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine in the top-of-the-range Mitsubishi Triton today develops 150kW and 470Nm.

Executives have shown interest in a V6 version of the new Triton – and said six cylinders would likely fit in the engine bay – but doubt has been cast over whether Mitsubishi has access to a suitable V6 to use in the new pick-up.

Mitsubishi Australia has raised its hand for a new flagship Triton variant – click here for more details.

Mitsubishi has experimented with a flagship version of the current-generation Triton, in the Xtreme special edition due in Australian showrooms later this year – a few months before the new model arrives.

While it has the support of Mitsubishi Australia, the upgrades have been designed and built by Walkinshaw Automotive Group – the former parent company of Holden Special Vehicles – and the project was proposed by Walkinshaw to Mitsubishi, not the other way around.

Mitsubishi's revived Ralliart performance-car division now competes in the Asia Cross-Country Rally for utes, first with a race-prepared version of the outgoing Triton last year, and from this year's event the new-generation Triton.

Executives have previously been candid about a link between learnings from the race vehicle, and applying it to future road-going models.

"We’ve been participating in a lot of competition [with the current Mitsubishi Triton] and actually the purpose of doing that is not just for promotion, but also to gain a lot of information from very severe usage," Mitsubishi Motors product strategy chief Koichi Namiki told Australian media earlier this year.

"What we have done is to put many sensors on [the vehicle] and collected a lot of information from that … including how the vehicle withstands such severe usage."