Mitsubishi launches new-generation Pajero in Thailand, with Australian sales from mid-December

Thailand first as Mitsubishi restarts the Pajero nameplate

Mitsubishi Motors began sales of the all-new Pajero cross-country SUV in Thailand on October 19, 2026, marking the return of a nameplate that has been absent since the fourth-generation model launched two decades ago. The vehicle is manufactured at the Laem Chabang Plant of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) in Chonburi Province, a site the company describes as a core hub of its global production and export strategy with long experience building ladder-frame models. ²⁴¹

According to Mitsubishi Motors' announcement, Thailand is the first sales market, while Australia and Japan will receive shipments this fiscal year ahead of sales beginning in mid-December. From fiscal 2027 onward, which the company defines as April 2027 to March 2028, Mitsubishi plans to roll the model out sequentially in approximately 100 countries and regions, including markets in the Middle East and Latin America. ²⁴

Keisuke Kishiura, president and chief operating officer of Mitsubishi Motors, said at the Thai launch that the all-new Pajero is a flagship model positioned among the top-tier cross-country SUVs in the Thai market, and that Thailand is both an important market and a key hub for the company's production and exports. ²

Automotive World notes that the return to Japan is notable: Pajero production there ended in 2021 after 39 years, and Japanese buyers will now receive a model imported from Thailand, underlining how central the Laem Chabang plant has become to Mitsubishi. ¹

DriveAgent analysis: the Thailand launch is not the Australian-market release. Mitsubishi has confirmed only that Australian sales begin in mid-December 2026; no Australian pricing, specification or detailed timing has been announced, so Thai details should not be assumed to carry over. ²⁴

History and rollout plan

The Pajero, sold as the Montero in some markets, was introduced in 1982 as a cross-country 4WD combining off-road performance with passenger-car comfort, and became one of the models that drove Japan's RV boom in the 1990s. Mitsubishi Motors states total production across four generations exceeded 3.29 million units, with a following in more than 170 countries and regions. ³⁵

The company first unveiled the fully redesigned model at a world premiere in Tokyo on September 2, 2026, positioning it as a new-generation flagship embodying its Mid- to Long-Term Vision for the 2030s. Kishiura described the Pajero as the first model to bring that vision to life, one that will lead not only the Pajero series to follow but the entire Mitsubishi Motors lineup. ³⁵

The rollout sequence has been consistent across announcements: first Thailand, then Japan and Australia during fiscal 2026, followed from fiscal 2027 by a phased expansion to around 100 countries including ASEAN, Latin America and the Middle East. ³²

Powertrain and driveline

All three Thai-market variants use a 2.4-litre turbocharged clean diesel, engine code 4N16, with a wide-range single variable-geometry turbocharger delivering 204 horsepower at 3,500 rpm and 480 Nm of torque at 1,750 to 2,500 rpm, paired with a newly developed eight-speed automatic transmission with Sport mode and paddle shift. ⁷⁶³

Dan Tri reports, citing Thai outlet Autolifethailand, that the engine shares a base with the unit in the Mitsubishi Triton Athlete but has revised internal components, a different variable-boost system, a water-cooled intercooler and a Dual Loop EGR system with high-pressure and low-pressure circuits, with Autolifethailand characterising the result as an engine that is nearly entirely different from the Triton's. ⁶

The flagship Super Exceed 4WD variant carries Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD-II system, offering four drive modes: 2H rear-wheel drive, 4H full-time four-wheel drive, 4HLc with a locked centre differential and 4LLc adding low range. Seven selectable terrain modes — Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock — are offered, while the S-AWC integrated dynamics system combines Active Yaw Control, active stability and traction control and anti-lock braking. ⁶³⁷

Chassis, dimensions and packaging

The all-new Pajero retains a highly rigid ladder frame with expanded use of high-tensile steel for weight reduction, and increased frame cross-sectional area to improve torsional and bending rigidity. The suspension combines independent double-wishbone front geometry with a newly developed five-link rigid rear axle, and Mitsubishi says 'off-road comfort' was established as a key development benchmark balancing off-road capability with on-road refinement. ³

Mitsubishi Motors lists overall dimensions of 4,920 mm long, 1,925 mm wide and 1,910 mm high, a 2,870 mm wheelbase and 1,630 mm front and rear tracks, with 230 mm ground clearance, a 30.4-degree approach angle, 22.6-degree ramp breakover angle, 25.8-degree departure angle and a 52:48 front-rear weight distribution. ³

The three-row, seven-seat cabin has been packaged with a raised driver's eye point, a 150 mm sliding range and tumble mechanism for the second row, and a third-row footwell designed so passengers can place their toes beneath the second-row seats. Seat ventilation and three-zone automatic climate control are fitted. ³

Thai specifications, variants and pricing

Mitsubishi Motors Thailand revealed key specifications ahead of the official launch and confirmed the model went on sale from October 19, 2026 at more than 180 Mitsubishi showrooms nationwide, in entry-level, mid-level and top-level variants. ⁷

The top-level variant features a honeycomb grille with exclusive bumper garnishes, a skid plate, 20-inch alloy wheels, welcome lighting and Dynamic Flow Light animations, while entry and mid-level variants carry the Kendo Mask grille. The cabin uses Camel Brown and Black leather and synthetic leather, acoustic glass on front and rear door windows, a seamless 14.3-inch monolithic dual display, the 12-speaker Dynamic Sound Yamaha Ultimate audio system and a panoramic glass roof. ⁷

Dan Tri lists Thai prices of 1,499,000 baht for the Pajero 2.4 GLS 2WD, 1,699,000 baht for the 2.4 GSR 2WD and 1,999,000 baht for the flagship 2.4 Super Exceed 4WD, which the publication converts to approximately 1.15, 1.31 and 1.54 billion Vietnamese dong respectively. These are Thai-market figures for the Thai-market variants, and no Australian pricing has been announced. ⁶

The Thai range detail varies by grade: Dan Tri reports the GLS uses 18-inch wheels and a 12.3-inch dual screen with a six-speaker system, the GSR adds 20-inch black-and-silver wheels, memory seats and the Yamaha 12-speaker audio, and the Super Exceed upgrades to the 14.3-inch dual display, digital rear-view mirror and a two-tone earth-orange and black cabin. ⁶

Safety and driver assistance

Mitsubishi Motors Thailand lists the Diamond Sense 360-degree safety package across the range, including lane departure warning and prevention, leading car departure notification, front cross traffic alert, emergency assist for pedal misapplication, moving object detection, rear cross traffic brake, lane keep assist and traffic sign recognition, alongside the MI-PILOT highway single-lane driving assistance system. ⁷

At the world premiere, Mitsubishi detailed additional technologies including Forward Collision Mitigation with pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist detection and junction assist, Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Emergency Lane Assist introduced for the first time, eight airbags including the company's first SRS centre airbag, and a 3D Multi Around Monitor using four cameras with a front under-floor view that displays automatically when 4HLc or 4LLc is selected. ³

For Australian buyers, the confirmed position is that shipments are under way this fiscal year with sales beginning in mid-December 2026; the vehicle's specifications, variants, pricing and equipment grades for the Australian market remain unannounced, and the Thai specifications above should not be assumed to carry over unchanged. ²¹