Mitsubishi Delica trademark filing revives Australian launch speculation, but no decision confirmed

A first-ever local trademark filing

The next-generation Mitsubishi Delica appears to be a step closer to an Australian debut, after trademark filings for the Delica name were submitted locally by Mitsubishi in September 2026. CarExpert reports it unearthed the filings, which add weight to comments made by the brand three years ago about the people mover being considered for the Australian market. ³

The significance of the filing lies in what has – and has not – happened before. According to CarExpert, while automakers are known to register model names to protect trademarks regardless of whether they will be sold in every market, the Delica nameplate has been in production since the late 1960s and had never been trademarked in Australia in all that time. Ground News, which aggregated coverage of the story from outlets including PerthNow, The West Australian and 7NEWS Australia alongside CarExpert, similarly framed the submission as evidence Mitsubishi's popular people mover is looking more likely for the Australian market. CarExpert broke the story on Monday, 28 September 2026. ³¹

What a trademark filing does and does not tell us

Despite the attention, a trademark submission is not a commitment to sell the vehicle. As CarExpert notes, automakers routinely register model names to protect trademarks whether or not the vehicle will be offered in every market. The filing itself does not come with any stated Australian launch timing or specifications, and neither publication reports any confirmed local decision. ³¹

The underlying public record sits within IP Australia's systems. Australian Trade Mark Search makes public trade mark information discoverable by word or image indexing, and the register contains trade mark record data dating back to 1906, updated daily. IP Australia notes that marks in statuses such as Published: Awaiting Indexing or Published: Awaiting Examination are applications that have not yet been assessed, so a recently lodged application remains some way from registration. ²

IP Australia's search service also cautions that not every lodged trade mark is immediately visible in the public record: some may remain unpublished, for example because they have not met minimum filing requirements or are still undergoing processing by IP Australia. The agency further notes that any published representation of trade mark information is only ever a point-in-time view rather than the most current picture, with pending applications changing status more frequently than older records. That underlines why speculation based on a fresh filing should be treated as provisional until Mitsubishi itself confirms anything. ²

Three years of local evaluation

The trademark filings are the latest chapter in a story CarExpert has followed since 2023. At that time, Mitsubishi Motors Australia said it was assessing the current-generation Delica for local release, with at least two vehicles understood to have been brought to Australia for evaluation by the company. ³

“Mitsubishi Motors Australia has acquired a current-generation Delica to assess dealer, customer and media reaction to the concept, to gain a deep understanding of its potential in the Australian market in future,” a spokesperson for Mitsubishi Australia told CarExpert in 2023. “We will continue to evaluate ahead of the next-generation’s introduction.” ³

The Japanese automaker has since said any decision would apply to the next-generation Delica rather than the current one, which CarExpert reports is believed to now be around the corner. No date for the new model or any Australian decision has been stated. ³

The concept previewing the next Delica

The 2023 comments came following the unveiling of Mitsubishi's D:X Concept, an off-road plug-in hybrid people mover believed to preview the forthcoming Delica. The company said at the reveal: “The Concept embodies Mitsubishi's adventurous spirit with a modern design, strong and safe underpinnings, PHEV drivetrain and Super All-Wheel Control.” ³

Those D:X Concept characteristics – a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, all-wheel control and rugged styling – remain the only technical pointers to the next-generation vehicle cited in the coverage, and CarExpert presents them as indicative of the new Delica rather than as confirmed Australian specifications. No powertrain, equipment or dimension details for a local version exist in any of the reporting. ³

A familiar nameplate that has never been official

Although the Delica has never been an official part of Mitsubishi's Australian lineup, the nameplate is far from unknown locally. CarExpert notes the people mover is a relatively common sight on Australian roads thanks to private imports, and Australians are broadly familiar with the model because commercial versions were sold by Mitsubishi as the Express van for several decades, while people mover variants were marketed here under the Starwagon name. ³

That combination – decades of near-parallel local presence through the Express and Starwagon, steady grey imports, and the first-ever Australian trademark filing for the Delica name – explains why the September 2026 submission has drawn attention. It remains, however, an application in IP Australia's system rather than a product announcement, and Mitsubishi Motors Australia has made no launch commitment in any of its statements to date. ³¹