Mitsubishi Triton to spawn Honda ute - report
The Mitsubishi Triton is already rebadged as the Nissan Navara, and now a new report claims Honda wants the dual-cab too.
Plans for the Nissan-Honda-Mitsubishi joint venture fell apart early last year, but the trio of brands may soon have the same shared model in showrooms.
According to Japanese outlet Yomiuri, Honda wants a mid-sized pickup (or ute, as we better know them as in Australia) to add to its south-east Asian lineup, and it’s likely the Mitsubishi Triton will be its choice.
The publications reports a Honda-badged version of the Triton ute could go on sale in the region as soon as 2028, with more markets claimed to be under consideration.
If it comes to fruition, it’ll be the second rebadged version of the Triton on sale globally, as the current Nissan Navara is based on Mitsubishi’s ute – though it’s only sold in Australia and New Zealand.
The report continues that the potential Honda ute would help Mitsubishi to increase the operating rate of the Thailand factory where the Triton and Navara are built.
It would also give Honda a competitor in the market to rivals such as the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max, though it’s unlikely to be sold here, given the rare success of three vehicles sharing the same core being available in Australia.
While Honda’s south-east Asian operations are looking to Mitsubishi for a new pickup, Mitsubishi is reportedly wanting to lean on Nissan for a model in North America.
In May, Mitsubishi announced it is looking to join the North American mid-size pickup market, a segment it hasn’t occupied for close to two decades.
To take on the likes of the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger, it will produce the pickup in collaboration with Nissan, with Automotive News reporting at the time it’s likely the model will be built in the US by Nissan on an existing production line.
Reportedly based on the Nissan Frontier, the existing pickup itself is due to enter a new generation in late 2027 or 2028, as a part of Nissan’s ladder-frame product offensive.
Despite occupying the same segment as the Ford Ranger - which is sold globally - it’s unlikely the Mitsubishi pickup will come to Australia, as the Frontier it’ll likely be based on is left-hand drive only.
It’s not yet known what Mitsubishi’s North American pickup will be called, though it’s possible the brand will revive the Raider name, the last title it gave to a pickup in the region.
