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The worst-kept secret in the Australian SUV world is now official: the successor to Mitsubishi's Pajero Sport will simply be badged Pajero.
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Mitsubishi is resurrecting the Pajero nameplate for its upcoming successor to the Pajero Sport, marking the return of a model name that was on sale in Australia for almost 40 years.
The Japanese brand has finally confirmed the use of the Pajero badge for the next generation of its Triton ute-based, ladder-frame SUV, phasing out the Pajero Sport badge.
Mitsubishi has confirmed a global reveal in the northern autumn of 2026 (September to November), ahead of an Australian arrival by the end of the year.
It is confirmed to switch from the previous Pajero's monocoque chassis to the ute's ladder-frame underpinnings, but with "model-specific development of the cabin and front and rear suspension," Mitsubishi said in a media release.
The original Pajero reached Australia in 1983, but was cut from Mitsubishi’s line-up in Japan after four generations in 2021, due to declining sales.
“Our news today is the naming of the large flagship SUV, which will be the Pajero,” Mitsubishi Australia’s General Manager of Product Strategy, Bruce Hampel, told media including Drive, at the launch of the Triton Raider off-road ute this week.
“That nameplate coming back is very much going to resonate with Australian customers and the Mitsubishi brand.
“Work continues on delivering our large SUV flagship to showrooms by the end of this year.”
In the last full year of sales in 2021, 2250 Pajeros found homes locally, with a further 139 sold in 2022.
Production of the Pajero Sport for the Australian market ended ahead of schedule in Thailand because the model did not meet new safety rules introduced on 1 March 2025, related to autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology.
While new examples couldn’t be sold here after that date due to safety constraints, Mitsubishi Australia “enacted a forward ordering program” to ensure it had enough stock to “sustain sales”.
About 65,000 examples have been reported as sold in Australia since the Pajero Sport was introduced in 2015 to replace the previous Challenger.
According to Mitsubishi, stock has run very low, and it expects it to dry up entirely before the new Pajero arrives. There have been 1840 reported as sold so far this year, compared to 6052 in 2025.
Despite its age and safety limitations, Mitsubishi said it was “still moving quite well”.
The outgoing Pajero Sport is listed at $51,540 and $65,590 before on-road costs, but prices for the new Pajero are expected to rise, matching more closely with its Ford Everest and Toyota Prado rivals that currently start at $58,990 and $73,200 respectively.
The new Mitsubishi Pajero will be sourced from Thailand, aligning with Australian registration documents previously obtained by Drive that confirmed it will be built in the same country that produces Triton for Australia.
The new Pajero is likely to feature the Triton's 2.4-litre '4N16' bi-turbo diesel engine, which produces 150kW and 470Nm.
Power and torque could be increased for Pajero, and there is scope for the line-up to expand at a later date with 48-volt mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid options.
The current Pajero Sport, meanwhile, is sold in Australia with Mitsubishi's 133kW/430Nm '4N15' single-turbo diesel.
Plug-in hybrid tech could draw from the Outlander PHEV’s 100kW/203Nm 2.4-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine matched with 85kW/255Nm front and 100kW/195Nm rear electric motors, for a 185kW/450Nm combined output in 2025 models, or 221kW for 2026.
The latest Outlander PHEV features a 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery delivering an 86km WLTP-rated electric-only driving range. Changes would be needed, however, to account for the demands of an off-road-focused SUV and the added weight of the Pajero.
A camouflaged example of the new 4WD is currently undergoing testing in Australia ahead of its global debut.
While it shares some physical similarities with the new Y63 Nissan Patrol, such as its vertical tail-lights, they are not related, as previously reported by Drive, Nissan has denied Mitsubishi access to its platform, and they will be built in separate locations.
Mitsubishi says its line-up will be bolstered by the end of this year with the arrival of the Pajero and its new small electric SUV.
The loss of the Pajero Sport, as well as the Eclipse Cross small SUV, in recent years have hit it hard, but it says with these new models on the horizon, there is “a lot of action coming”.
“There'll be five models back in market by the end of this year,” said Hampel.
“Triton, Outlander, ASX, Pajero, and the Foxtron EV by the end of this year and then you have great things like updated Outlander PHEV and you have the Triton Raider as well. So we're augmenting the product line-up.
“We're going to have five new models over the next five years, so either all new or refreshed versions of the Outlander and Triton, so there's a lot of action coming.
“We're considering a range of electrification options across all models going forward, from HEV [hybrid] and PHEV [plug-in hybrid] to full BEV [electric].
“For our sustainability pillar, the EV is going to be a key part of that as well. There are a lot of EVs out there at the moment, and we’re trying to stand apart from that, which I guess is what a lot of the established OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] are trying to do.
“Our vehicle was designed by Pininfarina [the legendary Italian design house once responsible for Ferraris], so it's actually quite a stylish vehicle, and the way it's been designed is really focusing on interior roominess as well as dynamic handling.”
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A born-and-bred newshound, after graduating from a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Kent, Kathryn worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two award-winning regional newspapers, before joining the UK's biggest newspaper, The Sun. More recently, she has served as News Editor for Wheels, MOTOR, Street Machine, and 4x4 Australia magazines, and is one of only a few women to have served as a Wheels Car of the Year judge. Winner of the Newspress award for Scoop of the Year in 2025, Kathryn is best known at Drive for her powerful investigative feature writing, although she can also be found putting new cars through their paces and breaking news.
