Mitsubishi has confirmed plans for a new electric ute – distinct from the next-generation Mitsubishi Triton due this year – by 2028.
Mitsubishi may become one of the first Japanese car makers to enter the electric ute market, with confirmation of plans for a battery-powered dual-cab within the next five years.
The electric ute was announced as part of 16 new Mitsubishi models due by 2028 – including the new Triton diesel ute due this year, and nine hybrid or electric vehicles.
A teaser image of the new electric ute suggests it will be a standalone model with different bodywork to the new Triton – which could point to it riding on a dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, rather than a chassis adapted from a diesel pick-up.
Its boxier styling and proportions compared to the Triton beside it indicate it may be closer in size to full-size US pick-ups – including the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T – which have so far led the rollout of electric power in the ute category.
MORE: 2024 Mitsubishi Triton teased, unveiling due this year
Details of the new Mitsubishi electric ute are scarce for now, and it is unclear if it will be twinned with a sibling model from Nissan and Renault, which are Mitsubishi’s partners in a technical and financial alliance between the brands.
Drive reported last month on interest from US Nissan dealers in an electric Navara-sized ute, however it was speculated that it could be based directly on the new Nissan Navara – which is twinned under the skin with the new Mitsubishi Triton.
A larger Ford F-150-sized vehicle could open the door for Mitsubishi to return to the ute market in the US, which it departed in 2009 after discontinuing its rebadged version of the Triton-sized Dakota ute from US pick-up specialist Ram.
However, it would need to be built in the US due to the ‘Chicken Tax’, a 25 per cent tariff on imported light trucks introduced in the 1960s as a response to West Germany’s import tax on US chickens.
An exact launch date for the electric Mitsubishi ute has not been locked in, but a presentation to investors suggests it is due between 2025 and 2028, pending any delays.
This timeline could see Mitsubishi become among the first Japanese car makers to enter the electric ute market – but about five years after Chinese and US rivals.
Reports claim Toyota may be the first mover, with an electric version of the Tacoma – the US equivalent of Australia’s top-selling Toyota HiLux – but there is no confirmed word on rivals from Isuzu, Mazda and Nissan.
Volkswagen has indicated it is studying an electric version of the new Amarok – which is a twin of the latest Ford Ranger.
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