JUST as important as the launch of the all-new Triton is the message Mitsubishi Motors Australia is sending with it, with the Japanese marque relinquishing its ‘value’ tag and preparing itself to no longer compete on price alone – just take a look at the new Outlander as a case in point.
Since the first-generation Triton launched back in 1978, value has always been a unique selling point for the commercial Mitsubishi model. So the brave move to step into the highly competitive premium class currently dominated by the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux is not without risk, but as MMAL president and CEO Shaun Westcott puts it, “Volume without profit is vanity.” The fact that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to compete with spreadsheets from GWM, Mahindra and LDV must also be considered.
To enable this shift in class, Mitsubishi has spent the better part of seven years – the journey on this vehicle began in 2017 – essentially rebuilding the Triton from the ground up, thoroughly reworking everything from the dimensions, chassis, engine, interior and driving dynamics. Most overdue and a boon for caravanners, its towing capacity has increased by 400kg to now meet the industry standard of 3500kg.
While the
