Mitsubishi plans smaller Pajero SUVs as artist imagines ‘Pajero Cross’

Mitsubishi’s plan and the imagined SUV

Mitsubishi plans to build a family of SUVs around its newly unveiled Pajero flagship. At the September world premiere, company president and chief operating officer Keisuke Kishiura said compact and small SUVs would join the nameplate. CarExpert reported that a presentation image showed two boxy vehicles under covers, but Kishiura gave no further details about the smaller models. ⁵⁶

The ‘Pajero Cross’ now pictured is a proposal by digital artist Theottle, not an SUV unveiled by Mitsubishi. The artist has imagined how Pajero-inspired styling might work on an Outlander-sized vehicle. CarExpert presents an Outlander reskin or change of name as speculation, while autoevolution identifies the design as a virtual rendering. ¹²

What has been reported about the smaller models

The size descriptions leave considerable room for interpretation. CarExpert says a ‘compact SUV’ could be about the size of an Outlander, while the smaller covered shape in the presentation image might indicate a Japanese kei-class vehicle. Those are readings of the teaser rather than dimensions or classifications released for either future Pajero. ¹⁶

CarExpert attributes to Nikkei Asia a report that Mitsubishi is developing a Toyota RAV4-sized Pajero for 2028 or 2029. According to that account, it would be a more off-road-capable alternative to the Outlander, share some components with it and use a new platform developed by Mitsubishi. Carscoops also reported the proposed compact project in August. The timeframe and engineering description remain reported plans, not specifications announced at the Pajero premiere. ⁴⁶

CarExpert’s account of Nikkei Asia also places a smaller, Pajero-named kei-class model around 2030. Carscoops describes its timing as a rumour. A covered shape does not settle that vehicle’s construction, powertrain or eventual markets, and neither of the reported dates is a confirmed Australian launch date. ³⁶

The unveiled Pajero is a separate vehicle

Mitsubishi’s September announcement concerns the new full-size Pajero, a ladder-frame SUV with a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine producing 480Nm and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Mitsubishi lists Super Select 4WD-II and Super-All Wheel Control, along with a three-row, seven-seat cabin. These are details of the unveiled flagship, not specifications for the artist’s Pajero Cross or the smaller SUVs. ⁵

For the full-size Pajero, CarExpert reports a 150kW engine output and Australian list prices starting at $68,490 before on-road costs for the five-seat GLS, rising to $84,990 before on-road costs for the GSR. Mitsubishi says the Thailand-built flagship will launch first in Thailand, followed by Japan and Australia during fiscal 2026. Those prices and that rollout apply to the unveiled Pajero. ¹⁵

The Pajero Sport is separate again. Carscoops reports that Mitsubishi chief product specialist Kunitoshi Itagaki said the existing model would remain in production for selected markets and distinguished it from the new flagship. Its continued production does not identify what form either of the planned smaller Pajero SUVs will take. ³

Earlier uses of the Pajero name

The broader use of the name has precedents. Mitsubishi dates the original Pajero’s introduction to 1982 and says production across its first four generations exceeded 3.29 million. CarExpert reports that the smaller Pajero iO was sold in New Zealand in three- and five-door forms, while Japan’s first-generation Pajero Mini measured 3295mm long. Those earlier vehicles provide context for the family plan, but do not establish names or designs for its new members. ⁵⁶