Before the Fortuner, the Mitsubishi Pajero was the SUV of choice for Indians. In the era of small hatchbacks, the Pajero stood out in traffic and boasted road presence like no other. This iconic SUV has been teased in a new avatar, and here is what you should know about it. Attention Readers! Join us on the WhatsApp Community for daily auto news updates.
Mitsubishi Pajero Teased
Mitsubishi has given us a short glimpse of the next-gen Pajero. From the teaser, it is barely recognisable from the last-gen Pajero. It now gets connected to the LED DRL. The conventional rectangular headlights are no more. In the centre of the H-shaped headlights, the Mitsubishi logo proudly sits.
The Pajero has been spotted testing in international markets. The boxy stance is retained with the new Pajero, but it has been refreshed with newer alloys and a few more aesthetic tweaks. While the Pajero Sport has been on sale globally, the flagship Pajero was discontinued long ago. This return would have many Indian SUV purists on their feet. But is it actually coming back?
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Mitsubishi Pajero – Will It Return To India?
In 2024, Mitsubishi signed a deal with TVS Motors to form a mobility ecosystem in India. This ecosystem includes infrastructure like service centres, dealerships, and more. Mitsubishi has invested heavily, but we haven’t heard any further developments in this project. Starting a manufacturing plant in India from the ground up is an arduous task, and it will require much more effort, capital, and infrastructure from the Japanese automaker to manufacture its cars in India. Not to mention, the market has gotten much tougher since Mitsubishi last operated in India.
While details about the powertrain and features remain blurry, we expect Mitsubishi to offer it with modern features and hybrid tech to keep it competitive in the market. While rumours may suggest that the Pajero comeback is on the cards, it seems pretty unlikely to be any time soon. Mitsubishi has announced that it will launch the Pajero internationally by the end of this year, but the Indian launch would be much later (if it does launch). If Mitshubishi do decide to bring the Pajero back, it would be brought in via the CBU route. This would make it quite expensive, and you can expect it to cost around Rs 70 lakh (on-road, Mumbai).
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