Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart could go hybrid

Mitsubishi is plotting a factory-built tough-truck flagship for the new-generation Mitsubishi Triton ute family due to appear next year and there’s a growing body of evidence it could arrive by mid-decade flexing newfound 200kW-plus hybrid muscles.

The Japanese car-maker confirmed it was relaunching its Ralliart performance brand back in May 2021 and commercialisation occurred six months later in Thailand, where the first Ralliart-branded Triton and Pajero Sport models we released, albeit with little more than fancy sticker packs.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) told carsales it is working closely with its parent company in Japan, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, to make sure the first Triton Ralliart is a genuine competitor to hard-core off-road utes like the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior and the upcoming ‘apex’ Toyota HiLux Rugged X replacement – and potentially even the monstrous new 292kW twin-turbo petrol V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor.

“We have been in discussion with MMC about this [Triton Ralliart] as a core market, absolutely,” said Mitsubishi Australia’s senior manager of product strategy, Owen Thomson.

“We want to do it properly. It’s not a sticker pack for our market.”

The new-generation Triton is set be revealed in the first half of 2023, followed by Aussie sales later in the year. Mitsubishi Australia is confident the new ute will bring vast improvements over the current vehicle, in part due to local development testing, including considerably higher levels of technology.

The Triton Ralliart would provide the replacement for Australia’s third most popular ute with a much-needed hero model designed to create a halo effect for the rest of the range.

It’s understood Mitsubishi Australia is pushing for both powertrain and chassis upgrades for the Triton Ralliart, but it may only get one or the other, not both.

“Internally there is a lot of passion for Ralliart. The challenge is how to make it happen, and that’s still a work in progress. Whatever it is, from MMAL’s point of view, we would like to see it have some kind of tangible performance benefit,” said Thomson.

“Whether that’s in vehicle dynamics or some other area, that’s yet to be worked through.”

One potential outcome is that the upgraded version of the new Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV’s 185kW/450Nm petrol-electric powertrain that’s set to power the new Triton could make its debut in the Ralliart ute.

It’s understood that Ralliart will expand its engineering story around the butch-looking Vision Ralliart Concept later this year, which may include details around the beefed-up hybrid powertrain.

This information release due in late 2022 will then generate momentum into 2023, when Mitsubishi is expected to show off its first full-blooded Ralliart vehicle in almost a decade.

That vehicle is widely expected to be the Outlander Ralliart Evolution.

But there’s a strong desire within the Japanese company to resurrect not only its performance arm, but also its reputation as an innovative and inventive car-maker.

The Mitsubishi Outlander’s chief engineer, Kentaro Honda, explained that the brand is working on several high-performance powertrain solutions that could be shoe-horned into future models.

“We have several plans for Ralliart. Now we are investigating Vision Ralliart – that kind of a concept – and we are studying it, not only looking at the powertrain upgrade,” he said.

Does this mean we’ll see a wild new electrified version of the brand’s trademark rally-bred super all-wheel-control system?

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott certainly didn’t pour cold water on the idea.

“Not only does it add spice and excitement and enthusiasm for the brand, if you look at super all-wheel-control, that was born in rally and it is still one of our competitive advantages today.

“We are considered a core market for Mitsubishi. We are one of the top performing distributors around the world and we have a very close and significant relationship with MMC, with high levels of collaborations on important new model developments.

“With the Asian Cross Country Rally [AXCR], we are giving the technical support on that Triton and the lessons we learn there, we believe we will see on future models coming to market.

“So it’s not just for the hype and muscle and everything else that goes with it, we actually do believe there’s real value for us as an organisation for getting back into Ralliart and really building it up again,” he stated.

Before the all-new Mitsubishi Triton appears next year, followed by the first Ralliart version, Mitsubishi Australia could release a homegrown tough-truck flagship for the current Triton, called the Raider.

Like the Navara Warrior, it’s expected to bring a range of locally developed off-road upgrades and a tougher look that may borrow from the vehicle Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is campaigning in the 2022 AXCR, or the Australian-developed 2019 Mitsubishi Triton Absolute concept (pictured).

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