Here's Why Mitsubishi Doesn't Sell Its Pickup Truck In The USA
The once-almighty Mitsubishi brand has grown irrelevant in North America after flirting with success from the late 90s to the early 2000s. What followed was corporate mismanagement and fuel economy cheating scandals that may have forever changed buyer's perception of Mitsubishi cars.
But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Mitsubishi intends to reenter the U.S. market by aiming for one of the fastest-growing segments in the automotive industry. In a 2023 interview with The Drive, Mitsubishi North America's Director for Product Planning, Cason Grover, revealed that the automaker has intentions of selling a pickup truck to compete with stalwarts like the Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, and Chevy Colorado.
If it does, Mitsubishi's weapon of choice would be none other than its iconic Triton pickup truck. Now in its sixth generation, the all-new Triton debuted in Bangkok, Thailand, in mid-2023 and will go on sale in Japan in 2024, marking the first time in 12 years that Mitsubishi will sell the Triton in its Japanese home market.
Chicken Tax spoils the fun
Mitsubishi once sold earlier versions of the Triton in the USA, particularly the Dodge Ram 50 and Mighty Max (also called the L200 in other parts of the world). For the brand to reenter the U.S. market with the Triton, it must circumvent the Chicken Tax that levies a hefty 25% tariff on import vans and light trucks.
The Chicken Tax is a primary reason why JDM classics like the Toyota HiAce and Toyota Hilux are like forbidden fruits to U.S. buyers, and it also prevents Mitsubishi from bringing the Triton to Uncle Sam's shores.
However, Mitsubishi is part of the Renault-Nissan alliance, and it could leverage existing Nissan platforms to create a Mitsu-branded unibody compact truck. The brand already does this with the Outlander, a Mitsubishi crossover riding on Nissan Rogue underpinnings, and it would be interesting if Mitsubishi could shake up the crossover or truck segment with its genuinely sporting lineage.
Mitsubishi and motorsports are like fine wine and cheese, and it already took its all-new Triton on the grueling stages of the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR). Featuring a high-tensile steel ladder frame chassis, an optimized leaf spring rear suspension system, Super Select AWD with active yaw control (AYW), an available six-speed manual transmission, and "Beast Mode" styling, the Triton would serve its U.S. buyers well if not for the dreaded Chicken Tax.