Mitsubishi is reportedly looking beyond Nissan as it tries to rebuild momentum in the U.S., and one small line in a recent Automotive News report opens the door to a very interesting question.
Could Mitsubishi eventually use a Honda SUV as the basis for a new Montero Sport?
To be clear, nothing like that has been confirmed. Automotive News reported Mitsubishi is discussing cooperation with Honda, but Mitsubishi did not give any further details. That means we do not know if those talks involve electrification, software, manufacturing, parts sharing, or a complete vehicle.
But if Mitsubishi is serious about rebuilding its U.S. lineup quickly, the idea of a Honda Pilot or Passport wearing Mitsubishi styling is at least worth exploring.
And if Mitsubishi did it right, a Honda-based Montero Sport could make some sense.
Mitsubishi needs more than one truck-like product
Mitsubishi is already reportedly planning a return to the U.S. midsize pickup market with help from Nissan. That truck is expected to be sourced from Nissan and built at a Nissan factory in the United States. That would give Mitsubishi a competitive pickup, but one truck alone probably is not enough to rebuild the brand’s rugged identity.
Mitsubishi also needs SUVs that feel more interesting than its current compact and midsize crossover lineup. The Outlander has helped, especially with its plug-in hybrid option, but Mitsubishi used to mean more than practical family transportation. This was once a brand with a large and cult-like following stateside. That is why a Montero Sport comeback is such an interesting idea.
The Montero Sport name already has history
The Mitsubishi Montero Sport is not just a random name.
In the U.S., the Montero Sport was sold as a smaller, more accessible SUV related to Mitsubishi’s truck-based heritage. It was not the full-size Montero, but it gave Mitsubishi dealers a rugged-looking SUV that landed in a space below the bigger nameplate.
The Montero Sport eventually disappeared from the U.S. after the 2004 model year, as Mitsubishi shifted more toward crossovers like the Outlander.
Mitsubishi walked away from body-on-frame and adventure-style SUVs in the U.S. right before that image started becoming valuable again. Today, rugged-looking SUVs are everywhere. Toyota has the 4Runner and Land Cruiser. Ford has the Bronco. Jeep still has the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. Honda has leaned harder into the Passport and Pilot TrailSport. Subaru has Wilderness trims. Even mainstream family SUVs are trying to look tougher.
A revived Montero Sport could give Mitsubishi a name people remember, without needing to bring back the full Montero right away.
Why Honda Pilot or Passport bones could make sense
If Mitsubishi and Honda were to cooperate on a U.S.-market SUV, the obvious donor vehicles would be the Honda Passport and Honda Pilot.
The Pilot gives Honda a three-row midsize SUV with a 3.5-liter V-6, available all-wheel drive, and a family-friendly layout. The TrailSport models add a more adventure-focused setup. The Passport uses the same basic architecture, and Honda positions the 2026 Passport TrailSport as its most off-road-capable SUV yet.
That is the kind of hardware Mitsubishi could use right now.
A Mitsubishi-badged version would not need to pretend to be a rock crawler. It could be positioned as a rugged, family-friendly two-row or three-row SUV with real Mitsubishi attitude. Think Passport or Pilot practicality, but with Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield front-end styling, a bolder grille, different lighting, unique wheels, and a more aggressive TrailSport-style equivalent wearing the Montero Sport name.
That would immediately give Mitsubishi something larger and tougher-looking than the Outlander.
Passport would probably be the better fit
If Mitsubishi had to pick between the Pilot and Passport, the Passport feels like the cleaner match.
The Passport is shorter, more adventure-focused, and already marketed by Honda as a rugged SUV. It also avoids some of the direct overlap with the Mitsubishi Outlander, which already serves as the brand’s three-row crossover, even if its third row is small.
A Honda Passport-based Mitsubishi Montero Sport would slot in as a bigger, tougher, two-row SUV with more attitude.
That could give Mitsubishi a competitor for shoppers looking at vehicles like the Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback Wilderness, or Jeep Grand Cherokee, among others. It would not be a traditional body-on-frame Montero, but it could still be a practical adventure SUV for U.S. buyers.
And, frankly, that may be more realistic.
Pilot would give Mitsubishi a bigger family SUV
The Honda Pilot option is also interesting, just for a different reason.
A Mitsubishi-badged Pilot could give the brand a more legitimate three-row midsize SUV than the Outlander. It would be larger, roomier, and more directly aimed at family buyers who want something bigger than Mitsubishi currently offers.
Mitsubishi has been burned by badge engineering before
The last Mitsubishi pickup sold in the U.S. was the Raider, and it was based on the Dodge Dakota. On paper, that was not a terrible idea. Mitsubishi needed a truck, Dodge had a midsize pickup, and the two companies found a way to share hardware.
The problem was execution.
The Raider never developed a strong identity of its own. Truck buyers knew what it was, and the Mitsubishi badge did not give shoppers enough reason to choose it over the Dodge version.
That same issue could apply to any Honda-based Mitsubishi SUV.
If Mitsubishi simply rebadged a Passport and called it Montero Sport, enthusiasts would likely reject it immediately. But if Mitsubishi used Honda’s platform, powertrain, and production base while giving the SUV a real Mitsubishi look and a clear position in the lineup, it could be more compelling.
Badge engineering is not always the problem. Lazy badge engineering is the problem.
This could help Honda, too
There is another reason this idea is interesting: Honda may have something to gain.
Honda has a strong SUV lineup, but it does not have the same rugged heritage names in the U.S. that Toyota, Jeep, Ford, or even Mitsubishi can claim. Honda has made the Passport TrailSport more serious, but it is still building that adventure credibility.
A Mitsubishi version could give Honda more volume from an existing architecture, while letting Mitsubishi take a more rugged design direction without Honda having to move too far away from its own brand identity.
That would be similar in spirit to Mitsubishi’s reported Nissan truck plan. One company gets more use from an existing platform. The other gets a product it badly needs.
Not to mention, this would help Honda work its way back from the financial disaster of completely ditching its EV program.
The full Montero/Pajero comeback is still separate
Mitsubishi is already reviving the Pajero name overseas, according to recent reports. That SUV is expected to be based on the ladder-frame Triton pickup platform, which makes it more of a traditional off-road SUV than a Honda Pilot or Passport. In the U.S., the Pajero was historically known as the Montero.
So would Mitsubishi really want a Honda-based Montero Sport if a true Pajero or Montero is also coming?
Maybe.
The Montero Sport could be the more U.S.-friendly, unibody adventure SUV, while a future Montero could remain the more serious global off-road model. That would mirror what many other brands do with the Sport moniker, hello Ford Bronco Sport.
For U.S. buyers, the simpler version is this: Montero Sport could be the mainstream rugged SUV, while Montero would be the real-deal halo SUV.
Bottom line: A Honda-based Montero Sport sounds strange, but it could work
A Honda Pilot or Passport rebadged as a Mitsubishi Montero Sport may sound odd at first. But the more you think about it, the more it fits Mitsubishi’s current situation.
The brand needs fresh U.S. product. It needs tougher-looking SUVs. It needs to move faster than a full in-house development cycle may allow. And it is already reportedly looking at partnerships as part of its comeback strategy.
If Mitsubishi simply slaps three diamonds on a Honda Passport, this would be a hard sell. But if Mitsubishi gives it a unique look and enough off-road credibility to feel different, it could be one of the more interesting partnership SUVs on the market.
For now, this is just an idea built from one reported line about Mitsubishi and Honda talking.
But if Mitsubishi really wants to rebuild its U.S. image, a Montero Sport revival may not be the craziest place to start.
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