One of Mitsubishi’s chief engineers has told media that the forthcoming hybrid version of the Triton ute will stick with a mechanical four-wheel drive system after his team tested a BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab to its breaking point.
Speaking at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, Mitsubishi Motors engineering fellow Kaoru Sawase told journalists he had taken a BYD Shark 6 off-road at Mitsubishi’s Tochigi proving ground – and he passed critical judgement.
“At this moment the BYD’s off-road capability is not so high,” Sawase-san said. “They can climb uphill, but it doesn’t last very long. For a while they climb, but then they stop – the system protection kicks in.
“So, my feeling is that the electrified off-road vehicle development is a challenge.”
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BYD Australia doesn’t pitch the Shark 6 as an off-roader in quite the same way the Triton and rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are.
Yet it’s the Shark 6’s protection systems, designed to combat overheating, which have influenced the decision to develop a different hybrid system for the Triton instead of using the setup from its popular Outlander PHEV.
The Japanese automaker previously confirmed it’s working on both PHEV and conventional hybrid powertrains for the Triton, sharing the news at the launch of the current generation in 2023.
It could also use the same hybrid tech in a new off-road SUV to replace the Pajero Sport, which may see the return of the Pajero name to the lineup after a concept vehicle with an off-road tilt was shown at the Tokyo show this week.
The upcoming 2026 Nissan Navara will also share its ladder-frame platform with the latest Triton.
In whichever vehicle it’s fitted, to enable off-road capability, Sawase-san – dubbed the Godfather of Mitsubishi’s Super-All Wheel Drive Control (S-AWC) system – said it will employ a mechanical four-wheel drive system, unlike the Shark 6 which has an electronic 4×4 system.
Yet the Mitsubishi engineer was not dismissive of the BYD dual-cab, which has been selling strongly since its introduction in Australia last February.
“We have a lot to learn from the Chinese,” Sawase-san said. “Until the protection system kicks in, the performance for the electric model – controlling the tyres – is quite good.
“The performance and the control is quite good, and we have to learn from them.”
