One-tonne pick-up trucks are not very popular in Japan, where kei minivans with sliding doors and tight roads-friendly mini-trucks are the preferred work tools for people who need to haul a lot of cargo.

Though larger pick-up trucks don’t sell in very high volume, they are seen as status symbols. Parallel-imported left-hand drive American pick-up trucks prowl the trendy streets of Roppongi and Ginza, rarely leaving tarred roads.

Nearly twenty years ago, Mitsubishi Motors in 2005 attempted to introduce domestic brand pick-up truck here, hoping to grow the market with its KB generation Mitsubishi Triton. The Japanese market Triton was imported from Thailand but fitted with fender-mounted mirror on the left-front, to comply with Japanese regulations.

The projected sales volume never materialized, and the Triton was discontinued after just one generation, in 2012. One hurdle that Mitsubishi couldn’t overcome was that Japanese laws require pick-up trucks to undergo annual vehicle inspections. Japanese authorities treat pick-up trucks as commercial vehicles, regardless of whether it’s registered to a private individual or a company.

That archaic law is still enforced today but Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and flying restrictions that followed the subsequent years triggered a change in consumer behaviour. The last few years have seen a rapid rise in demand among Japanese consumers for off-road capable lifestyle vehicles.

With prices of Toyota Land Cruisers – which is now seen as a luxury car - climbing too high, buyers started looking for cheaper alternatives, leading to a resurgence in interest for the Triton. 

Since the Triton didn’t sell a lot when it was new, prices of used examples started rising as demand is much higher than supply. Also, Japan didn't sell the Toyota Hilux until 2017.

The KB generation Triton was sold at around 3 million Yen when new. Today, 15 years old examples are trading at prices well above 1 million Yen. In comparison, a similar age Toyota Alphard, which is one of the highest resale value cars in Japan (due to export potential to Southeast Asia), can only fetch half as much, well below 1 million Yen.

The rise in interest in used Tritons didn’t go unnoticed by Mitsubishi Motors, which even organizes camping trips (Star Camp) for its customers, to drive up demand for off-road capable 4WD vehicles.

Earlier this year, the new generation 2024 Mitsubishi Triton was launched in Japan. Demand was so strong that on the first day it went on sale, Mitsubishi sold 6x its monthly sales target for the Triton.

Prices for the Japanese market Triton start at 4.98 million Yen. That’s more expensive than the Toyota Hilux GR Sport (4.3 million Yen).

Closer to home, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia is expected to launch a new generation 2024 Mitsubishi Triton very soon, but as indicated by the developments in Japan and Thailand, the new generation 2024 Triton will likely see an increase in price, probably around 11 percent more expensive.

The outgoing generation Triton is only on offer with up to RM 11k in rebates. There’s a RM 7k cash rebate + RM 2k Duit Raya, and 2-year free service. Civil servants and existing Mitsubishi owners will get an additional RM 1k and RM 2k rebate respectively.

Promotion ends this weekend, on 30-April 2024. Find out more here.