Mitsubishi Returns to the 2024 AXCR with a Cross-Country Triton

Remember the days when popular automakers had a hand in NASCAR and other official rally races? Although we don’t see many rally cars in modern times, the spirit lives on with all sorts of events year-round. One event, specifically, is coming up in Asia during the summer of 2024. The Asia Cross Country Rally (hereafter, AXCR) is scheduled for August, and we already know of one automotive team entering the cross-country race – Team Mitsubishi Ralliart. The team continues to represent the Triton pickup truck nameplate with a modified cross-country version of the T1 prototype.

For those who haven’t heard, the AXCR is the ASEAN region’s largest cross-country rally. About to hit its 30-year anniversary in 2025, 2024 marks the 29th AXR in the entire history of the annual rally race. The official competition is set to start on August 12th, 2024, but there will be a ceremonial start held in Surat Thani the day before. Hitting major milestones along the way from Thailand to Malaysia, covering nearly 1250 miles of trials, and a number of new obstacles. A vehicle entering this cross-country race will need to be able to handle a wide range of terrain, such as mountains, jungle paths, and river crossings.

Mitsubishi Motors, or Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, has seen its fair share of experience running the race of the AXCR. The overseas Triton continues to be the vehicle entered into the race. Since the new generation of the pickup truck made its appearance during the 2022 AXCR, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has another chance to show what the Ralliart team can do.

“Last year, we confirmed the toughness and durability of the all-new Triton in the grueling conditions of AXCR 2023…The rally also reaffirmed that the Triton’s strengths lie in its sporty handling and its excellent road handling on rough terrain. This year will be our second year competing with the new-gen Triton, and we have made the Triton rally car more powerful and enhanced its driving performance by widening the tread further so that we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with competitors’ vehicles with high-displacement engines. Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is taking on the crown, and we look forward to your support.” – Hiroshi Masuoka, team director of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart

We wonder why the truck is kept overseas, when the capability of Mitsubishi trucks is clear. The brand is comprised mainly of SUVs in North America, but alas, at least Mitsubishi is sticking to its roots of ally car days and reminding us that it first entered the states as a rally car. The brand also has a team that competes in the annual Rebelle Rally, an all-women’s off-road rally race and the longest competition of its kind in the lower 48 states. In a 1,500-mile race of off-road navigation, a team of a driver and navigator have to work their way through the majority of California, and tackle the harsh topography spanning from Lake Tahoe to San Diego.

Mitsubishi presented the Triton rally car during the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show. In contrast to last year’s red and black motif of molten lava, this year ups the energy with a digitized image of dust and gun mental gray graphics to represent volcanic rock. They really have an explosive theme here.

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Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Media