Mitsubishi has announced the release of a new cross-country SUV and for its name, they chose an icon from the brand’s archives. That’s right, the Pajero is back! The nameplate came to an official close in 2021 and a return has now been confirmed following a five year hiatus.
Pajero was first launched to the world in 1982 as a “recreational vehicle” at the time, now more commonly called an SUV. In Mitsubishi’s words, the Pajero sought to combine the “comfort of a passenger car with the off-road performance of a full-fledged four wheel drive vehicle.” The result was an icon that spanned four generations and recorded upwards of 3.25m in sales over the 170 countries in which it was sold.
It wasn’t just its durability on the road that made it legendary, Mitsubishi also took the Pajero to the Dakar Rally, beginning its involvement in 1983 and recording seven consecutive wins out of 12 total victories. Sadly no confirmation has been given at this point as to whether the Pajero will return to the Dakar Rally but we can live in hope! Back to the topic, the Pajero’s success, particularly in the 1990s, was so much that Mitsubishi themselves created spin-offs of the Pajero which includes the Pajero Junior, Pajero iO and Pajero Mini!
An official unveil is scheduled for Q3 of this year with Mitsubishi confirming that the new Pajero will be based on the ladder frame chassis of the Triton ute but improvements will be made to both sets of suspension as well as the cabin to prioritize comfort for the Pajero.
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Words by Matthew D’Souza, media courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors Press.
