Mitsubishi has locked in a September 2 world premiere for the revived Pajero, a body-on-frame off-roader returning to the lineup after a five-year absence — and in markets where it’s sold as the Montero, it lands in the same body-on-frame SUV segment the 4Runner has had largely to itself in the U.S. Mitsubishi confirmed the platform and technology in back-to-back official announcements this summer, first on May 29 and again on August 4.

Key Points

• Global reveal set for September 2, 2026, according to automotive trade reporting citing Mitsubishi’s own confirmation
• Built on a ladder-frame chassis shared with the Triton pickup, per Mitsubishi’s official newsroom
• Equipped with Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC), Mitsubishi’s integrated stability and traction system
• Known as the Montero in some export markets, Mitsubishi confirmed in its own release
• Returns after the Pajero was discontinued globally in 2021
• Over 3.25 million Pajeros sold across four generations since 1982, with 12 Dakar Rally victories, according to Mitsubishi

The ladder-frame construction is the detail that matters most here. Most compact and midsize SUVs on sale today, including Mitsubishi’s own Outlander, ride on unibody platforms borrowed from sedans and hatchbacks. A true separate frame under a body is now a small and shrinking club — the 4Runner is in it, the Land Cruiser Prado is in it, and Mitsubishi is deliberately building the new Pajero to the same formula rather than softening it into a crossover.

Mitsubishi’s own newsroom describes engineering aimed at “safe, secure driving across a wide range of weather and road conditions” with suspension tuned to suppress body movement over rough terrain — language that reads like a direct pitch to buyers cross-shopping serious off-road capability rather than school-run comfort. The S-AWC system pairs with the ladder frame to manage power delivery across all four wheels independently, the same basic approach Mitsubishi has used in rally-proven Pajeros for decades; the nameplate’s 12 Dakar wins remain the most of any manufacturer in the race’s history.

What Mitsubishi hasn’t nailed down publicly yet is exactly when American buyers get a shot at it, or what it’ll be badged. The company’s own materials confirm only that the Pajero name carries over as Montero in certain markets, without spelling out a U.S. on-sale date or pricing. For a brand that’s leaned on crossovers like the Outlander and Eclipse Cross for most of its recent U.S. lineup, a body-on-frame off-roader built to genuinely compete with the 4Runner would mark its most significant return to that segment in years — assuming it makes the trip across the Pacific.