Mitsubishi Australia soldiers on with Pajero for Australia

Mitsubishi Australia has confirmed it will continue to offer the Pajero in local showrooms “for the foreseeable future” despite a decision to discontinue the ageing SUV in the UK.

In a move understood to stem from tightening emissions regulations, Mitsubishi has confirmed the Pajero (known there as the Mitsubishi Shogun) would shortly be taken off sale in the UK and Europe after a 37-year run.

Autocar reports Mitsubishi recently completed production of final European-specification models from the marque’s Sakahogi factory in Japan. The decision comes weeks after confirmation the Pajero would be pulled from its home market of Japan.

Speaking with carsales.com.au, Mitsubishi Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said the UK decision would have no bearing on Australian sales.

Gehling confirmed the Pajero would be offered Down Under “for the foreseeable future”.

“The Pajero continues to be sold in many markets including the Middle East, South Africa, Philippines, Brazil, Chile, Russia and of course Australia,” he said.

Pressed on whether the recent market exits would impact future updates and frequency of updates for the Pajero, Gehling said: “The UK decision will not impact the lifecycle planning for Pajero”.

Only last month, Mitsubishi Australia pared back its Pajero line-up to two models following a decision to discontinue the flagship Pajero Exceed.

Emissions and Mitsubishi’s ability to get ahead of the curve will ultimately dictate the Pajero’s future in its current form. If the Pajero does get a new lease on life, however, there’s scope to collaborate with the Nissan-Renault group, Mitsubishi’s parent company, and more access to electric technologies.

Launched in Australia in January 1983 – less than a year after its original Japanese introduction – the Pajero started as a two-door, short-wheelbase off-roader that was quickly complemented in Australia by a long-wheelbase four-door in May 1984.

The Mitsubishi Pajero saw four generations and, in 1999, some significant structural changes including the adoption of monocoque construction and coil-spring, four-wheel independent suspension made it something of a standout in the volume-selling 4WD segment.

Its main competitors at the time employed ladder-frame chassis construction and used live-axle, leaf-spring suspension.

In Australia’s sub-$70K large SUV segment, the Pajero currently sits in ninth place on the sales ladder but has done a lot better in the past.

Its spiritual successor, the Mitsubishi Triton-based Pajero Sport wagon, is currently the third best-seller in the segment behind Toyota’s Prado and Kluger models, and outsells the Pajero at a ratio of around two sales to one.

Indicative of the changing nature of 4WD wagons, little more than a handful of today’s SUVs qualify as genuine off-roaders. The Pajero’s dated fundamentals hamstring it in terms of safety technology though and a thorough (and expensive) update would be needed to bring it into line with market expectations.