New Mitsubishi Delica confirmed for production

Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) has essentially confirmed the futuristic 2023 Mitsubishi D:X concept is going into production and that the new-generation off-road people-carrier will form a key part of the Japanese brand’s new regional ‘Momentum 2030’ product plan.

Effectively a reborn Delica with electrification, the Mitsubishi D:X concept debuted at the 2023 Tokyo motor show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and a radical futuristic exterior design that was instantly recognisable to fans of the all-terrain wagon that’s been a grey-import favourite Down Under for several generations.

MMNA released an intriguing teaser image when it announced its new electrification-heavy product plan showing the production-spec D:X in the centre of a line-up of new models (seven in total) that also included six SUVs of varying sizes.

No detail on any of the vehicles has been released as yet, but the all-terrain MPV’s inclusion in the teaser image pretty much locks it in for production and confirms that it’ll be a global model.

That means it should become available to Mitsubishi Motors Australia, which has long expressed its desire to sell the Delica here officially for the first time.

The crux of the Momentum 30 strategy is to have “a new or completely refreshed vehicle to debut each year between fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2030”, most of which will be electrified to some extent.

Two of the vehicles have already confirmed to be “all-new” and will “debut into segments in which the company does not currently compete”, while the others will be new-generation or updated versions of existing products.

Looking more closely at the teaser images, we can see two versions of the Outlander – likely a facelift and the rumoured, more-capable ‘Rugged Edition’ – along with what looks to be a new Eclipse Cross.

Along with the D:X, there’s some sort of light SUV that could become the new ASX and two bigger, more capable-looking SUVs – one of which could feasibly be the next-gen Pajero Sport, judging by its square profile, rugged stance and generous ground clearance.

There’s also a chance this could be the new-generation Pajero itself, given neither the Pajero Sport nor the Triton pick-up it’s based on is currently offered in the US, with the reborn off-road icon tipped to be derived from the upcoming Y63 Nissan Patrol.

Odds are the light SUV will be leveraged from some other Alliance product, just as the European ASX is essentially the Renault Captur, with MMNA having already confirmed some of the Momentum 30 products “will be produced locally utilising Alliance assets”.

The North American teaser follows Mitsubishi HQ’s 2023 promise to release 16 new models globally over the next five years, including a battery-electric pick-up, several large SUVs and, hopefully, a local ASX replacement.

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