Mitsubishi fast-tracks Triton hybrid launch

MITSUBISHI Motors Corporation (MMC) is advancing plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Triton ute within the next two years – and a senior engineer has confirmed it will retain a conventional mechanical four-wheel-drive system rather than adopting an electrified all-wheel-drive setup like that of the BYD Shark 6.

The decision, shaped by the need to meet tightening CO2 regulations in key markets –including Australia – while retaining required off-road capability, will see the Triton hybrid initially launch in ‘plugless’ form with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant or battery electric (BEV) variants likely to follow later.

Speaking to media including GoAuto during the recent Japan Mobility Show (JMS) in Tokyo, MMC engineering fellow Kaoru Sawase said Mitsubishi’s priority was to accelerate the Triton hybrid’s launch schedule.

“We have to launch (the Triton hybrid) as soon as we can,” said Mr Sawase.

“From the viewpoint of needing to quickly launch the vehicle, we will have no choice but to go for the P2 hybrid play, like Land Rover and LandCruiser.”

A P2 hybrid configuration positions the electric motor between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and transmission, enabling drive from either or both sources to feed a mechanical 4WD system further downstream.

Mr Sawase confirmed that this relatively simple approach – also used by GWM in hybrid versions of the Cannon Alpha ute and Tank SUVs – would enable MMC to bring the first electrified Triton to market “in the next couple of years.”

While MMC is bullish on the performance and grip control potential of dual-motor electric AWD systems (which it developed for the Outlander PHEV), testing confirmed that it would be too difficult to solve thermal management issues in time for launch.

Mr Sawase said MMC perceives that for heavy-duty off-roading, hybrid utes and off-road SUVs will need mechanical 4WD for the next five years while the packaging and thermal issues of electric AWD are solved.

Benchmarking of rival hybrids played a central role in the decision. Mr Sawase revealed that MMC extensively evaluated the strong-selling BYD Shark 6 PHEV at the company’s Hokkaido proving ground in Japan, comparing it to both diesel Tritons and the Outlander PHEV.

Mr Sawase said the Shark 6’s “off-road capability is not so high” but said that “until the heat goes up and the system stops…the performance and the control is quite good”.

Mitsubishi’s testing found that electric AWD configurations offered strong power and precision but that they struggled to maintain high torque outputs for long periods of time in demanding off-road environments.

Electric vehicles (including hybrids) will typically reduce or cut power to motors if high outputs are demanded for too long – such as on the racetrack or when climbing long, steep ascents off-road at high load, to protect the system.

“In order to overcome the challenges with electric driving, we use the engine as an insurance for the driving power,” Mr Sawase said.

That means the forthcoming Triton hybrid will rely on an ICE unit, possibly a turbocharged petrol engine, paired with a single electric motor mounted between the engine and transmission.

This configuration opens the door to the Triton hybrid retaining the ute’s signature Super Select 4WD-II system which allows four-wheel drive to be used on bitumen.

Mr Sawase indicated that Super Select will continue to be a Triton exclusive, with the forthcoming Nissan Navara ute – which will share the Triton platform and many mechanicals – likely to miss out on the trick tech.

“That is our proprietary technology. In principle, that technology is kept within (Mitsubishi),” he said.

Likely underpinned by a petrol engine, the Triton’s new hybrid powertrain would likely sit alongside the existing 150kW/470Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine in the Australian market.

The diesel-powered Triton produces CO2 emissions of 203g/km. With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) limit for utes tightening to 180g/km in 2026, Mitsubishi needs a compliant solution to avoid accruing NVES penalties.

But with ute limits set to decline to just 110g/km in 2029, a ‘plugless’ Triton hybrid will not be a long-term silver bullet, and a PHEV or BEV version will become required soon enough.

Mr Sawase said that the electrified Triton lineup had to provide what is “actually going to be wanted by customers.”

In the first nine months of 2025, the BYD Shark 6 PHEV has outsold the diesel-powered Triton by a slim margin – 14,111 deliveries to 14,025.