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Mitsubishi teases next-generation Triton small pickup truck

Though Mitsubishi stopped selling pickup trucks in the U.S. in the '90s, the company never stopped selling them overseas. The Triton, or L200 as it's sometimes called, is in its fifth generation, which was introduced in 2014. Now it seems a sixth generation is on the way, as the company released a low-resolution teaser image of the latest pickup. It features many styling cues from recent Mitsubishi production and concept vehicles. It also probably isn't coming to America, but the odds of a U.S.-spec may actually be better than you might think. The teaser gives us a pretty good look at the new truck, despite the image quality and lighting. It has the "Dynamic Shield" front end, which is pulled straight from current models such as the Eclipse Cross and Outlander. The aggressive shape looks good on this larger body, as it's a little better proportioned when spread across the greater surface area. It looks like the whole body is sharp and angular to match it. But it's still definitely a conventional-looking pickup truck. Since this will be sold in many overseas markets where traditional trucks with traditional off-road capability is necessary, this will undoubtedly be a body-on-frame pickup with part-time selectable four-wheel drive. This is how the current model is constructed. And like the current model, there will likely be a turbocharged diesel four-cylinder available in many parts of the world. There's not much of a chance the new Triton will come to the U.S., but it's also not a 0-percent chance. The small truck market is strong right now, with the Toyota Tacoma and the combined Colorado/Canyon twins selling in six-figure numbers each year. It's strong enough that Ford has seen fit to finally bring the Ranger back to America, and for rumors to run rampant that FCA might reenter the fray with a Ram-badged truck under the fullsize 1500. Mitsubishi's U.S. dealers have also said they really want a pickup truck to sell. Granted, there are still the issues of passing emissions and safety regulations, and finding a way to deal with the Chicken Tax. So there's certainly opportunity here for Mitsubishi, but not without some difficulty. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mitsubishi Montero

Americans had been buying Mitsubishi-made pickups (badged as Plymouth Arrows and Dodge Ram 50s) for the better part of a decade when the Americanized version of the Pajero SUV appeared in American Mitsubishi showrooms. Naturally, there was a Dodge-badged version as well (known as the Raider), but finally Americans could buy a bouncy, off-road-capable SUV with big Mitsubishi badges all over it. The first-generation (1985-1991) Monteros have become quite rare, but I found this high-mile example in a Denver yard a few weeks back. You won't often see a late-1980s/early-1990s Mitsubishi with more than 200,000 miles on the clock, but Monteros held their value longer than Mighty Maxes and Mirages. I couldn't find any meaningful rust on this one, but the interior looked pretty tired. Under the hood we find the ubiquitous 3.0-liter 6G72 V6 engine, which found its way into everything including Chrysler minivans, Mitsubishi Diamante luxury sedans and even 1990s Hyundai Sonatas. Mitsubishi got its money's worth out of this engine, which stayed in production from 1986 through 2011 (in China). Most of the early Raiders and Monteros I've found in junkyards had manual transmissions, but this one shows the direction American SUV buyers were headed in 1990: two pedals, no shifting. It still lacks the dozen cupholders of later US-market trucks, of course. The Montero name went on Pajeros sold in North and South America, while UK-market trucks got Shogun badging. This beefy grab bar for the front-seat passenger suggests the kind of rugged driving environments not much like the highway commutes now used by SUVs in North America. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Just the vehicle for contemplating the ocean... or racing. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mitsubishi: Suddenly, the obvious choice.

Mitsubishi ready to expand PHEV lineup with ASX, Pajero

Mitsubishi likes what it's seen from plug-in hybrid sales of its Outlander SUV in Europe. Now, it looks like the Japanese automaker will go back to that proverbial well within the next few years. And, once again, SUVs will be the medium. Mitsubishi will start selling plug-in hybrid versions of its ASX compact crossover, the company's best-selling model in Europe, in 2017, Automotive News Europe says, citing comments from Osamu Masuko. A year after that, the company will debut the Pajero plug-in hybrid SUV. No details were disclosed about exactly what kind of PHEV powertains will be used in the vehicles, which will be part of the next-generation incarnations of both models. The ASX appears to be a good trial vehicle, given that more than 22,000 of them were sold in Europe through August, Automotive News reports, citing JATO Dynamics. Mitsubishi representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen. The company appears to be looking to build on the success of the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid. Mitsubishi sold almost 9,000 Outlander PHEVs in Europe during the first six months of the year. That model pairs a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor and has an all-electric range of about 32 miles.