Mitsubishi is getting back into the U.S. pickup truck business, and this time, it is reportedly doing it with Nissan’s help.
According to Automotive News, Mitsubishi will enter the U.S. midsize pickup segment with a new truck sourced from Nissan. The truck is expected to be built at a Nissan factory in the United States, giving Mitsubishi a way back into one of the hottest truck segments without having to create an all-new U.S. manufacturing footprint from scratch.
The midsize pickup space is no longer some sleepy corner of the truck market. The Toyota Tacoma is still the big dog. The Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Frontier are all fighting for space, while Honda has just paused its Ridgeline, and Jeep is promising more options outside of its Gladiator.
More brands you might not suspect are looking closely at the segment, like Kia.
Now Mitsubishi wants in.
Mitsubishi’s midsize pickup will reportedly come from Nissan
The biggest news here is simple: Mitsubishi is planning a new U.S. midsize pickup, and it will reportedly be sourced from Nissan.
Automotive News reports Mitsubishi did not give a launch date, but the truck is part of a larger plan to revive the brand’s U.S. business. The report says the pickup will be made at a Nissan factory in the United States.
That likely means this new Mitsubishi midsize pickup will have some connection to the Nissan Frontier, or to the next-generation body-on-frame truck platform Nissan has been discussing. The current Frontier is a good truck, and we have said before that the 2026 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X still gets a lot right. But it is also a truck that has been around for a while, and the next major redesign is expected to be a big deal for Nissan.
If Mitsubishi gets in on that next-generation architecture, this could be more than a simple badge swap. It could give Mitsubishi a legitimate truck to sell in the U.S. while giving Nissan more volume from the same production base.
Nissan has already said it is willing to share its truck platform
This Mitsubishi truck news does not come out of nowhere.
Nissan has already been open about wanting partners for future vehicles and platforms. Car and Driver reported Nissan was willing to share its next Frontier platform with other automakers, but not as a one-way deal. Nissan wants reciprocal partnerships, not just another company buying a platform and walking away.
That is where Mitsubishi makes sense.
Nissan owns a significant stake in Mitsubishi, and the two companies already cooperate on product development. Mitsubishi supplies Nissan with a version of the Outlander PHEV, while Mitsubishi is also expected to receive a rebadged Nissan Leaf EV.
A Mitsubishi midsize pickup sourced from Nissan would fit that broader strategy. Nissan gets more use out of its U.S. truck plant and future platform. Mitsubishi gets a U.S.-built pickup without starting from zero.
This is not Mitsubishi’s first U.S. pickup
Mitsubishi has been out of the U.S. pickup market for a long time, but it has been here before.
The last Mitsubishi pickup sold in the U.S. was the Raider. That truck was based on the Dodge Dakota, and it arrived for the 2006 model year. Mitsubishi leaned into the truck’s body-on-frame foundation, V-6 and V-8 engine availability, and midsize truck capability.
The Raider was not a huge seller, and it disappeared after the 2009 model year as the financial crisis and industry downturn reshaped the market. It also suffered from the same problem a lot of badge-engineered trucks face: buyers knew it was closely related to another truck, and Mitsubishi did not have enough pickup-truck momentum in the U.S. to make it stand apart.
That history is important because Mitsubishi may be facing a similar challenge again.
If the new Mitsubishi midsize pickup is too obviously a Nissan Frontier with a different grille, truck buyers may shrug. But if Mitsubishi gives it a unique look, a smart trim strategy, and a real off-road identity, it could have a better shot than the Raider ever did.
Mitsubishi badly needs a stronger U.S. identity
Mitsubishi’s U.S. lineup has become heavily crossover-focused. The Outlander has helped give the brand some relevance, especially with the plug-in hybrid version, but Mitsubishi has largely been missing the kind of rugged identity it once had.
A real Mitsubishi midsize pickup would give the brand something more emotional to sell. It would also reconnect Mitsubishi with the kind of adventurous, off-road image it built with vehicles like the Montero, Pajero, Delica, and earlier pickups sold in other markets.
Automotive News reports Mitsubishi’s U.S. plan has three major parts: expand off-road models, enter new segments through Nissan collaboration, and grow its dealer network with smaller urban “satellite shops.”
A pickup checks the first two boxes immediately. It gives Mitsubishi a more rugged product, and it does so through Nissan.
Mitsubishi said it is also discussing cooperation with Honda Motor Co., without giving details.
The revived Pajero could matter too, even if the U.S. is not confirmed
The pickup was not the only major Mitsubishi news.
Automotive News also reports Mitsubishi will revive the Pajero SUV this fall. The new Pajero will reportedly be based on the ladder-frame Mitsubishi Triton pickup sold in other global markets.
For U.S. buyers, the Pajero name may be less familiar than Montero. Mitsubishi previously sold the SUV here as the Montero, and the company reportedly referenced the Montero name in parentheses during its presentation.
That does not mean the Pajero, or Montero, is coming back to the U.S. Mitsubishi has not confirmed that. But the timing is interesting.
A Nissan-sourced Mitsubishi midsize pickup would give the brand a U.S. truck. A rugged SUV, if it ever came here, could help Mitsubishi build a real off-road family again.
That is exactly the kind of brand identity Mitsubishi has been missing.
U.S. production could help Mitsubishi avoid tariff pain
Another big reason this truck makes sense is production.
Mitsubishi is the only Japanese automaker without U.S. production, according to Automotive News. That leaves the brand exposed to tariffs and import costs. A pickup built by Nissan in the United States would help Mitsubishi blunt some of that pressure.
It could also help Nissan.
Nissan has been working through its own turnaround plan, which includes building more body-on-frame vehicles like the Xterra, and filling factory capacity is important. If Nissan can build a Mitsubishi version of its midsize pickup at a U.S. plant, that could help spread costs across more vehicles.
In other words, this is not just about Mitsubishi getting a truck. It is also about Nissan making better use of its truck architecture and production capacity.
The big question: Will Mitsubishi make it different enough?
This is the part truck buyers will care about most.
The Nissan Frontier is already a good midsize truck. It has a strong naturally aspirated V-6, a simple truck feel, good off-road trims, and a more old-school personality than some rivals. That is part of its charm.
But if Mitsubishi is going to compete with the Tacoma, Colorado, Ranger, and Frontier itself, it needs a reason to exist.
A unique front end will not be enough. Mitsubishi should lean into the off-road side of the brand. Give it a bold design. Give it smart trims. Give it a meaningful warranty story. Give it a name truck people will remember. And, ideally, give it some Mitsubishi personality beyond just the badge.
The Raider showed what happens when Mitsubishi sells someone else’s truck without enough separation. This new truck needs to avoid that trap.
Bottom line: Mitsubishi has a real shot, but it has to do this carefully
A Mitsubishi midsize pickup for the U.S. makes a lot of sense on paper.
The segment is strong. Nissan has a truck platform to share. Mitsubishi needs more rugged products. U.S. production could help with tariffs. And a pickup would instantly give Mitsubishi dealers something more interesting to talk about.
The risk is also obvious.
If this becomes another thinly disguised rebadge, shoppers may just buy the Nissan Frontier instead. But if Mitsubishi uses Nissan’s bones and gives the truck its own attitude, this could be one of the brand’s most interesting U.S. moves in years.
Mitsubishi has been away from the U.S. pickup market since the Raider. Now, it looks like the brand is finally ready to try again.
And this time, it may have a much better partner, a much stronger segment and a much bigger opportunity.
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