Rumours have abounded for some time that the Mitsubishi Pajero will be revived, but it appears more likely the next-generation Pajero Sport will simply ditch the ‘Sport’ suffix and be sold in more markets.
NHK World Japan reports a new Thai-built Pajero will be introduced in Japan in December 2026 to help boost the brand’s sales there.
However, a replacement for the current, decade-old Pajero Sport is set to be revealed in the coming months, with the model to continue being built in Thailand.
The current Pajero Sport isn’t sold in Japan, so this development suggests that instead of a new, bespoke flagship SUV for the brand, the Pajero nameplate will simply be used on another generation of the Triton ute-based Pajero Sport.
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It also casts doubt on previous reports from Japanese media that the Pajero nameplate will be revived on an Outlander-based plug-in hybrid SUV.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the Pajero Sport replacement will be called the Pajero here. A December 2026 launch in Japan suggests a reveal of the vehicle is imminent, so we won’t have long to wait to find out more.
Recent spy photos show the next-generation Pajero Sport will feature chunkier, more modern styling seemingly inspired by the mid-size Destinator built in Indonesia.
The next-generation off-roader has a boxy, upright silhouette but pronounced shoulders and wheel-arches, as well as the brand’s new signature T-shaped lighting elements front and rear.
Unlike the last Pajero, which featured unibody construction, the new off-roader is almost certain to share its body-on-frame underpinnings with the Triton.
That means it’s likely to feature the same 2.4-litre bi-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, producing 150kW of power and 470Nm of torque, and mated with a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission with either rear- or four-wheel drive.
Unusually, the same vehicle has recently been spied testing in the US, where the Pajero Sport has never been offered and where diesel-powered off-roaders are virtually non-existent.
The off-roader’s Challenger predecessor was sold there from 1997 until 2004 as the Montero Sport, while the Pajero was sold there as the Montero until 2006.
Mitsubishi also hasn’t offered its Triton ute in the US in decades. The Mighty Max, as it was known, was axed in 1996, and Mitsubishi has only briefly offered a ute – a restyled Dodge Dakota called the Raider – from 2006 until 2009.
The Pajero, aka Montero and Shogun, was produced for four generations from 1982 until 2021 and served as the brand’s flagship SUV.
All four generations were produced in the same Pajero Manufacturing plant in Sakahogi, Gifu Prefecture in Japan, before it was sold to a company that produces toilet paper.
Koichi Namiki, executive officer responsible for product at Mitsubishi Motors, told Australian media in 2023 the Pajero is “the heart of our brand” and that he wanted it to return.
“If we do that, of course we want to control everything. We might utilise some of the Alliance systems and components, but we would like to produce our vehicle,” Namiki-san said.
Although he admitted the Pajero is a “high priority” in his own mind, Namiki-san said changing priorities within Mitsubishi Motors globally driven by tightening emissions standards mean it’s not a high priority within the company.
The current Pajero Sport has been in production since 2015, though Mitsubishi ceased exports to our market earlier this year as the off-roader didn’t meet a new Australian Design Rule (ADR) concerning autonomous emergency braking.
The same issue affected the outgoing ASX and Eclipse Cross, though Mitsubishi was able to secure sufficient stock ahead of the March 1, 2025 cut-off to help tide itself over until fresh product is ready.
For context, Mitsubishi still delivered 452 Pajero Sports last month, and has delivered 3758 so far this year. It’s unclear whether stock will dry up ahead of the next-generation SUV’s launch.