TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Pajero confirmed for production
Mitsubishi product boss promises Pajero will remain a fully functional off-roader – but won't say when we'll see itUpdate, November 20: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation President Osamu Masuko has confirmed the GC-PHEV will be the basis for the next Pajero. In a round-table interview with Australian journalists the Mitsubishi chief also announced that the XR-PHEV show car will preview the next ASX, due for production within "a three-year plan." Masuko-san was unable to commit to a production start date for the new Pajero, but did say that it will reach global markets with choice of diesel, petrol and PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid) drivetrains.
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Mitsubishi has arrived at the biggest motor show in its home market with four new concept cars – and production versions of three will likely make it to Australia.
The only question hanging over the three is how true to the show cars the production versions will be. Take for instance the GC-PHEV – a "full-size SUV with full-time 4WD," as Mitsubishi's press kit describes it. The odd amalgam of angles and proportions will surely set tongues wagging, but will a future Pajero based on the show car be as bold and confronting?
For the moment, the manufacturer isn't even admitting that the GC-PHEV is a template for the next Pajero. And any talk of timing for introduction is right out of the question. Mitsubishi's Ryugo Nakao, head of Product Projects and Strategy Group, laughed when asked by the motoring.com.au correspondent to name a start date for an all-new Pajero.
"Sorry, I can't say," he replied, by-passing the interpreter to deliver the straightforward message in English.
He did explain that the plan was for the next Pajero to be launched with both hybrid and conventional drivetrains available. Furthermore, and based on the Outlander PHEV, which recently completed an arduous off-road event, the Pajero will be up to the task of climbing mountains and fording streams.
The show car is powered by a supercharged 3.0-litre V6, driving through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Mitsubishi engineers have developed the hybrid-drive system for the GC-PHEV with the electric motor mounted between the V6 and the transmission. The drive battery is located behind the rear diff and the fuel tank is positioned below the floor, ahead of the rear axle. Advanced safety features include Pedestrian Collision Mitigation Auto-braking, Driver Monitor and S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics system.
While the GC-PHEV's styling is confronting, it's unlikely to reach production in this preliminary form without change. The rear suicide doors will probably be the first element to be ruled out for production. How much the vehicle's styling will be further adjusted prior to production will depend on the result of feedback from the public.
Mitsubishi expects the next Pajero will deliver the off-road competence for which its long line of antecedents is well known, but the biggest hurdle of all may be customer acceptance, if the production version is more closely based on the striking looks of the GC-PHEV.
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