Mitsubishi Delica still wanted Down Under

The new Mitsubishi Delica is slowly edging closer to Australian showrooms, but the federal government’s strict new CO2 emissions standards proposed for all new vehicles from in 2025 have thrown another hurdle in front of the futuristic off-road people-mover.

Speaking at the launch of the soon-to-arrive new Mitsubishi Triton ute, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott said the next-generation Delica is still firmly on the wish-list for the brand locally and continues to gain momentum internally.

“We think this is a great idea,” he said to carsales of the Delica. “We think there’s a niche in the market for it. A four-wheel drive, off-road capable, luxurious passenger vehicle… man, what a product!”

Privately-imported Delicas have built something of a cult following in Australia over many years, with buyers who want some mild off-road ability but the space and functionality of a people-mover or even a campervan.

It’s that affection that Westcott hopes to capitalise on.

“They’ve become an icon,” he said. “There’s an opportunity for us to build on that.”

While Mitsubishi Australia has been testing local interest in the Delica – even importing a facelifted fifth-generation (D5) example for evaluation – the company continues to stress its desire to introduce the nameplate here with Mitsubishi HQ in Japan.

“We have indicated very strongly to our parent company that we would like to have Delica in Australia,” said Westcott.

“We are advocating, we’re begging, we’re pleading… we’re doing everything we can.”

However, it’s the next-generation Delica model that was previewed as the D:X Concept at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show in October that is on the radar for Mitsubishi Australia.

The six-seat, three-row concept amped up the utilitarian look of previous Delicas while giving it a thoroughly modern design and powertrain makeover.

Seating comfort and flexibility clearly remain a priority with the D:X Concept, but its rugged off-road tyres and raised ride height show Mitsubishi is keen to further leverage its off-road know-how with the new model.

While there’s no production version of the next-gen Delica yet, it’s clearly in development so should appear in the next two or three years.

The challenge will be what powers it.

Delicas have traditionally been offered with the choice of a four-cylinder turbo-diesel or a petrol V6, but the 2023 concept car was fitted with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although Mitsubishi didn’t offer any details nor whether it was attached to a proper 4x4 system.

Either way, you can expect some form of electrification with the new Delica – and hopefully all-wheel drive.

But stricter emissions standards could impact the development of the new Delica – something Westcott said has been brought into sharp focus with next year’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

He said those tougher emissions standards could add to the development time of the new Delica.

“We may have to adjust the original thinking around the powertrain and that may impact on timelines,” said Westcott.

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