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The Melbourne-based firm, creators of the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, are said to be eyeing up a go-faster Triton under the revived RalliArt name with real performance.
Rumoured on and off since 2019, a performance variant of the Mitsubishi Triton looks set to become eventual reality. Image: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi’s rumoured introduction of a performance Triton has come under renewed focus after the emergence of a potential link-up with Australian engineering firm Premcar under the revived RalliArt banner.
No, yes?
First mentioned in 2019 as a rival for the Ford Ranger Raptor, recent reports as far back in 2023 suggested the debut of the current LC Triton could spawn a hardcore variant as the previous KJ was approaching the end of its lifecycle by the time speculation started.
“There’s certainly an opportunity there, but I’m not going to speculate as to whether we are or we aren’t [planning to produce a Ranger Raptor rival],” former Mitsubishi Australia Product Planning Head for Australia, James Tol, said at the time.
“At the moment we’re concentrating on getting the model range we have bedded down and launched. I’d never say never… we will talk about that down the track”.
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In making the statement to carsales.com.au, Tol added, “the new Triton certainly has a much better visual appeal, and we think that ‘harder edge’ is needed in this market, but it’s got the substance that comes with it”.
Subsequently, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott told drive.com.au two years ago that while a RalliArt version of the Triton is “under study”, it won’t simply be an appearance package as in Thailand where the motorsport division received a reboot two years before after having been dormant since 2015.
“We had the option of taking the sticker pack as well, and I basically declined. I said ‘I don’t want a sticker pack. For me, RalliArt is about performance, and I’d really like to see a vehicle that is enhanced in some way,” Westcott told the publication.
“That’s very clearly a request from our side – is that whatever comes out of this pipeline, it needs to be an enhanced vehicle, not just a sticker pack.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we may be able to do something in the space in the future based on what our global vice president said, which is that we are investing in RalliArt,” he concluded.
Nissan and now Mitsubishi?
According to the latest claims, the tie-up with the Melbourne-based engineering firm, which produces the Pro-4X Warrior version of the Nissan Navara that debuted in South Africa earlier this year, wasn’t officially confirmed by either company when inquired.
However, the provided statement to carsales.com.au did hint about a possible partnership being in the works for the development of a Warrior-style RalliArt-badged Triton.
“While there are ongoing studies on how to maximise the new Triton’s potential, we aren’t in a position to reveal further details at this stage,” the statement read.
Adding further fuel to the fire is the publication’s alleging of Premcar having already entered into negotiations for development of the next generation Navara that will make its formal unveiling later this year based on the same platform as the Triton.
At the same time, the Triton-underpinned Navara will swap-out the current Nissan-made engines for Mitsubishi’s updated 2.4-litre 4N16, with electrification in the form of a plug-in hybrid also being rumoured.
More soon
While little is otherwise known at present, expectations are that more rumours will likely emerge over the coming months, possibly with select details from both Premcar and Mitsubishi.
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