Mitsubishi Looking for “Right-fit” Pickup to Return to North America
While full-size pickups continue to rule light-vehicle sales in Canada and the United States, the midsize segment is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance led by hot new models like the Ford Ranger and Jeep Gladiator. Ram may resurrect the Dakota, too.
What about foreign makes? The Toyota Tacoma still sells in large numbers, the Honda Ridgeline’s latest generation has been praised by many, Nissan will finally redesign the Frontier, and Volkswagen teased fans at the 2019 New York Auto Show with the Tarok concept. Meanwhile, Hyundai keeps us waiting for the production version of the Santa Cruz concept.
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Lost in all that is Mitsubishi, which disappeared from the North American pickup scene in 2009 but now looks like it’s open to the idea of getting back in the game.
Company executives have apparently told dealers in the U.S. that they're listening to their repeated pleas for a pickup. Furthermore, in an interview with WardsAuto, Mitsubishi Motors North America’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin said: “We would like to have [a pickup], but we'd have to have one that's the right fit for Mitsubishi, for our demographic, and something that's really competitive in the market.”
In other parts of the globe, Mitsubishi currently sells the L200/Triton which, if you remember, found its way onto our list of 10 pickups we’d like to get in Canada.
While the old Mitsubishi Raider was a re-badged Dodge Dakota, a future Mitsubishi pickup in North America would be based on the platform that will underpin both the brand’s next-generation global truck and models sold by Renault and Nissan, including the aforementioned Frontier. However, it would not be expected to make its debut here until the middle of the next decade.
Of course, we’ll keep you posted if and when Mitsubishi makes an official announcement.