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Certainly one of Mitsubishi’s chief engineers has advised media that the forthcoming hybrid model of the Triton ute will stick to a mechanical four-wheel drive system after his workforce examined a BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab to its breaking level.
Talking on the 2025 Tokyo motor present, Mitsubishi Motors engineering fellow Kaoru Sawase advised journalists he had taken a BYD Shark 6 off-road at Mitsubishi’s Tochigi proving floor – and he handed important judgement.
“At this second the BYD’s off-road functionality shouldn’t be so excessive,” Sawase-san mentioned. “They’ll climb uphill, however it doesn’t final very lengthy. For some time they climb, however then they cease – the system safety kicks in.
“So, my feeling is that the electrified off-road car improvement is a problem.”
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BYD Australia doesn’t pitch the Shark 6 as an off-roader in fairly the identical method the Triton and rivals such because the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are.
But it’s the Shark 6’s safety methods, designed to fight overheating, which have influenced the choice to develop a distinct hybrid system for the Triton as a substitute of utilizing the setup from its widespread Outlander PHEV.
The Japanese automaker beforehand confirmed it’s engaged on each PHEV and standard hybrid powertrains for the Triton, sharing the information on the launch of the present era in 2023.
It might additionally use the identical hybrid tech in a brand new off-road SUV to exchange the Pajero Sport, which can see the return of the Pajero identify to the lineup after an idea car with an off-road tilt was proven on the Tokyo present this week.
The upcoming 2026 Nissan Navara can even share its ladder-frame platform with the most recent Triton.
In whichever car it’s fitted, to allow off-road functionality, Sawase-san – dubbed the Godfather of Mitsubishi’s Tremendous-All Wheel Drive Management (S-AWC) system – mentioned it can make use of a mechanical four-wheel drive system, in contrast to the Shark 6 which has an digital 4×4 system.
But the Mitsubishi engineer was not dismissive of the BYD dual-cab, which has been promoting strongly since its introduction in Australia final February.
“Now we have so much to be taught from the Chinese language,” Sawase-san mentioned. “Till the safety system kicks in, the efficiency for the electrical mannequin – controlling the tyres – is sort of good.
“The efficiency and the management is sort of good, and we now have to be taught from them.”
MORE: Discover the Mitsubishi Triton showroom
