Mitsubishi Motors Teases New Seven-Seater SUV Concept

Despite the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid showing its age, the Outlander PHEV returns for 2025. Likewise, it recently won the Green Car Journal Family Green Car of the Year Award for its third consecutive year, so it’s not yet going out to pasture. Regardless, we’re waiting for a new model to come from Mitsubishi Motors after it discontinued the Mirage “to make room for new models” and the “Momentum 2030” business strategy for North America. Lo and behold, Mitsubishi Motors just teased a new seven-seater SUV concept, but it might just be another model exclusive to the ASEAN market.

The last new model Mitsubishi announced for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region was the new 2024 xForce. Set to release in Southeast Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and African countries, it was a nice looking hatchback that was a nice refresh for Mitsubishi Motor’s style which feels a little outdated these days. No such luck for the xForce coming to America, but this new model might be a possibility. Teased before its official debut during the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) on October 24, the images are sparse, but the partial views of the SUV’s front and rear quarter panels point towards a new Outlander Sport – or a smaller sibling of the outdoorsy SUV.

Called the “DST Concept” there is no name yet shared for the new seven-seater, but it looks like it could be on the smaller side of Mitsubishi SUVs. If that were true, we’re not sure how they could make a seven-seater SUV small. Those built-in ladder runs are kind of neat, and some think this could mean a new generation of the Outlander Sport to further push its sense of adventure – install a built-in grille or pop-up tent, and we could see that. Still, the Outlander Sport only seats five, so how would a smaller version seat seven? No, that one doesn’t quite pan out.

This leaves two new Mitsubishi models that the seven-seater could be based on – the new generation of the Triton pickup truck or the xForce. We’ve been wanting a Mitsubishi pickup truck for a while, and discussions between Mitsubishi and Nissan hint at a new pickup truck for the North American market, as well as a new battery-electric vehicle (BEV). However, the Triton is a midsize pickup truck and the platform looks nothing like an SUV. The three-row seating layout and the new LED headlights look more like the xForce. Here’s where it gets interesting.

Although the xForce was only released for certain regions, Mitsubishi Motors has claimed on record that it would serve as the new core model for its upcoming lineup. In other words, the xForce would lay the groundwork for other, new models to build off of. Although a compact SUV, could a bodywork redesign and a larger platform be enough to make the xForce a seven-seater? It’s possible if Mitsubishi has a new platform that can serve multiple vehicle sizes, but the automaker hasn’t mentioned anything like that so far.

As always, we’ll have to wait for the grand reveal during PIMS, running from October 24-27, 2024. Stay tuned with us on Miami Lakes Automall social media.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Motors Philippines