Is Mitsubishi Coming After the Ford Maverick?
Before there was the Ford Maverick, a range of different brands had small trucks available in the States. But, as bigger trucks gained popularity and new regulations hit, selling a small truck no longer made sense. And one of those brands that used to offer a compact pickup was Mitsubishi. A name that is now synonymous with cheaper vehicles. In the near future, is it possible that Mitsubishi could build a small truck to compete with the Ford Maverick?
Does Mitsubishi have a truck?
While it is not sold in the U.S., in other markets, Mitsubishi does have a pickup truck that is called the Triton. In some form or another, this Japanese automaker has had a truck in production since 1978.
In fact, its truck was actually sold in the States for a time. The second gen was known as both the Mitsubishi Mighty Max and the Dodge Ram 50. But, it has been some time since Mitsubishi built a truck for North American soil.
Mitsubishi would like to sell a truck in the United States
In a talk with the Director for Product Planning in North America, executive Carson Grover teased the idea of a truck model. He stated that “we’d love to be able to do it.” But things are not as simple as just importing the Triton to the States.
Because of things like the Chicken Tax, importing a small truck is extremely expensive. The tax is essentially in place to protect against foreign-built small trucks. So, you really can’t just take the Mitsubishi Triton and start selling it in the U.S.
If the brand did want to build a truck, it would probably need to go into partnership with someone who already sells a small truck. According to The Drive, there are not any set plans for a new small truck. But, as this segment grows, it’s easy to see Mitsubishi wanting a slice of the pie.
Are there any small trucks left?
The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are two new small trucks that you can currently get. Although, the Santa Cruz is going to be easier to find than the Maverick. The Blue Oval’s compact pickup has proven itself to be extremely popular. And it has been hard to keep up with demand.
It does look like brands such as Ram might have plans to produce a small truck. After all, the smallest truck that Ram currently has is the Ram 1500. It does not even have a midsize model. So, we’ll be keeping our eye out for any developments on that front.
One small possibility for a Mitsubishi truck might be with the help of Nissan. The two brands do have a partnership, and the Outlander is actually based on the Nissan Rogue. So, borrowing the platform of something like the Nissan Frontier would not be unheard of.
Until Mitsubishi does make a formal announcement about a small truck, we won’t really know what the plan is. In my opinion, the more small trucks, the better. Especially if they are affordable.
