Unlike its Japanese peers – Subaru, Honda, Nissan, and especially Toyota – Mitsubishi is but a pale shadow of its former self in North America. To make matters worse, it's even becoming a copycat across the Old Continent.
We heard that Mitsubishi's corner office head honchos are thinking about ditching the Mirage nameplate in America – which is one of the least expensive hatchback and sedan automobiles money can buy right now. If they do that, Mitsu's US lineup will solely consist of the Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander crossover vehicles!
Over in Europe, they are putting customer patience to the test with their Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's cost-cutting measures, where the Mitsubishi Colt and ASX have become nothing but rebadged versions of the Renault Clio and Captur. However, across the ASEAN region, things are looking a lot better.
For example, they just presented the Xforce compact crossover, which looks rugged and cool – even if it only comes with 2WD. Even better, the sixth generation of the successful Mitsubishi Triton (L200 in other regions, formerly Mighty Max in America) was recently launched and met near-universal acclaim for its styling. Naturally, that attracted a lot of attention, both in the real world as well as across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
Some of these pixel masters were keen on splashing the new Triton styling on top of the upcoming Mitsubishi Pajero Sport SUV – but that's of no interest to American fans of all things Mitsubishi because the latter is yet again just another overseas affair after the Montero Sport version for North America was dropped out of the lineup some time ago.
However, Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has taken up the task of revealing yet another Triton version - in CGI, and these digital projects might be a little more enticing for the United States automotive market. For starters, the CGI expert imagined the Triton mid-size pickup truck could easily morph into a full-size Triton HD variant.
The reason we think this could work in America as a return of the Mighty Max nameplate is simple – the author utilized the Ford F-Series Super Duty platform as a reference. It turns out the American truck looks excellent with Triton styling at the front and rear! Now, though, this one is directly targeted toward the United States because the pixel master's latest design project is a revival of the 2003-2011 Mitsubishi Endeavour SUV.
Not to be confused with the Ford Endeavour (now Everest), this was a mid-size crossover SUV produced by Mitsubishi in Normal, Illinois, based on the PS platform and as the originator of Mitsubishi's "Project America" program, which was devised specifically for North America. Unlike the quirky Endeavour from the mid-to-late 2000s, the reinvented Mitsubishi Endeavor now looks way boxier and more rugged. So, it would be a great rival to the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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