A couple of weeks ago, there were reports that Honda would be offering a rebadged Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) by 2028. Now, it is official: Honda will be launching a pickup up truck based on the Mitsubishi Triton, and it is scheduled to go on sale in the ASEAN market in 2028.
Honda Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of a Honda model based on the Triton. This marks the first initiative between the two companies for complementary supply to each other’s product lineups.
The Triton is a one-ton pickup truck that sits on a ladder frame and has been one of Mitsubishi’s popular models, particularly in the ASEAN region. Through the signed MOU, Honda will now have a challenger in the ASEAN pickup truck segment, which includes rivals such as the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu mu-X, among many others.
Honda said that this will allow the brand to enhance its product lineup quickly and efficiently. Meanwhile, Honda shared that this collaboration will enable Mitsubishi Motors to increase production volume and improve capacity utilization at its production plant in Thailand.
The decision to offer a Triton-based pickup truck is part of Honda and Mitsubishi’s plan to expand their collaboration, a partnership that also includes Nissan. The three Japanese automakers have been exploring opportunities for collaboration in various areas as part of an MOU signed on August 1, 2024. But the joining of forces of the three Japanese automakers, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, previously did not move forward following a failed 2024 merger attempt; not until today.
Honda shared that one of the opportunities the three companies have been extensively exploring and discussing from both short- and medium-to-long-term perspectives is the complementary supply of each other’s vehicles.
This, according to Honda, would enable the three companies to leverage each other’s globally competitive automobile products to quickly and efficiently enhance their respective product lineups. From what has transpired, Honda saw it as logical to collaborate with Mitsubishi to offer a rebadged Triton, allowing the company to have a challenger in the midsize pickup truck segment in the ASEAN market.
Autocar’s Take
It’s now official: Honda will be offering a rebadged Mitsubishi Triton in the ASEAN market in 2028. This is a significant development for Honda, as it will now have a challenger in the midsize pickup truck category, a segment that is popular in the ASEAN market, which includes the Philippines. The rebadged Triton will also give Honda a proper pickup truck that sits on a ladder-frame platform. Of note, Honda currently has a pickup truck in its product portfolio, the Ridgeline, but it comes with a unibody chassis. Having a truck built with a robust ladder frame allows Honda to be more competitive in the ASEAN market.
