Mitsubishi is struggling, but not to the extent it couldn’t bring back racing to the brand. It has been over 10 years since it fielded a race truck and folded up its Ralliart racing arm. But it recently brought it back, and now is showing off its Triton Ralliart off-road truck. 

When did Mitsubishi last race?

The Triton race truck will compete in the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally starting in Thailand. That is the home of the production Triton’s manufacturing plant. Mitsubishi has been involved in rally racing since the 1960s. Its Ralliart racing division began in 1981. Ralliart was responsible for the Lancer and Galant VR-4 racing successes, which includes many World Rally Championships.

But in 2010 with the Great Recession hammering the world’s economies, Mistubishi quietly folded up Ralliart. When Mistubishi decided to invest in a new Ralliart division last year, we knew it would result in something interesting. Right now, Mistu is being coy about the Ralliart Triton’s modifications, but we’ve got these images to whet your appetite. 

Is Mitsubishi still losing money?

It is hoped this and more will also result in more attention to the Mitsu brand. To that end, it also revealed this week it was donating 1 million euros for Ukranian refugee aid. So, all of this appears to indicate Mistubishi is in a better financial state. 

As for the Triton in the US, there’s not much to talk about. Though there has been some speculation it might make it to our shores, the US chicken tax means it would have to be produced here. And right now Mitsubishi does not manufacture anything in the US. Its only assembly plant, in Normal, Illinois, is home to Rivian trucks. 

Does Mitsubishi still sell vehicles in the US?

Some of Mitsubishi’s newfound fortune may be due to it leaving Europe. It no longer sells vehicles there but continues to find a market in the US. And the brand is still popular in Southeast Asia.

It is also fielding an all-new Outlander for 2022. The previous version saw sales of around 25,000 to 35,000. It has big expectations for the 2022 Outlander and hopes to see a large spike in sales from its previous generation. In 2021, sales more than doubled from 2020, according to Automotive News.

The Ralliart division knows rally racing

While Mitsu hasn’t been generous with the Ralliart Triton’s details, we know that Ralliart is headed by former Paris-Dakar rally winner (twice) Hiroshi Masuoka. He also was involved in the development of the Montero SUV. So he has a rich connection to the brand and obviously knows his way around rally winners. 

As Mitsubishi hasn’t given up yet in the US, we can only hope it can continue its recovery, as well as its former rally successes. If the old adage “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” is still relevant, then it has positioned itself for better sales.