Mitsubishi is working on an all-new Montero SUV. The current-gen Montero was first unveiled more than a decade ago globally and is long overdue a replacement.
According to information on some international websites, the next-gen flagship SUV for Mitsubishi is likely to share its underpinnings with Nissan. This could be logical since Nissan has acquired 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) for 237 billion yen (Rs 12,324 crore) and has become its largest shareholder.
At the time of this acquisition last year, Nissan chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said that Nissan and MMC would collaborate on joint purchase, deep localisation, joint plant utilisation, common vehicle platforms, technology-sharing and expansion of the companies’ combined presence in both developed and emerging markets.
Nissan already has a similar-sized ladder-frame-based SUV, the Patrol, on sale in various international markets. This model could be a candidate for sharing its underpinnings for the next-gen Montero. The Nissan Patrol is currently in its sixth generation and is also sold as Nissan Pathfinder Armada in the North America. Nissan’s luxury-arm Infiniti also sells a more luxurious version of the Patrol called the QX80 in some markets.
For India, Mitsubishi is likely to bring in new models based on Nissan architecture in the future. The carmaker recently re-launched the current-gen Montero SUV in India, which is sold as a full import.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
