Nissan discussed sharing 2025 Patrol with Mitsubishi to build new Pajero

09/10/2024 12:00 AM

Nissan has confirmed it has had talks with Alliance-partner Mitsubishi about sharing its new-generation Patrol platform for the latter to revive the Pajero off-roader.

Speaking to Australian media at the reveal of the Y63 Patrol, Nissan Senior Vice-President and Chief Planning Officer for the AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania) region, Francois Bailly, confirmed discussions had taken place, but the brand is hesitant with sharing its technology.

"Would you do an OEM deal on GT-R or Patrol?" he said.

"This [Patrol] is Nissan, this is the core of Nissan, this is the ultimate DNA of the company.

"So yes [there were discussions] and no [Mitsubishi will not use the platform].

"[But] we could sell it, it really depends on for what and how."

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The 2025 Patrol is Nissan's first all-new ladder-frame-chassis large SUV in 14 years, while the smaller-sized Mitsubishi Pajero was discontinued in 2021 after the fourth-generation version was produced for 15 years.

Rumours have swirled since Mitsubishi joined the Renault-Nissan Alliance in 2016 that the new Patrol and Pajero could share platforms to amortise the cost of a box-fresh off-road-focused SUV in a landscape quickly moving towards electrification.

Mitsubishi and Nissan already share platforms and engines across its Outlander and X-Trail mid-size SUVs (though both tackle electrification differently), while the incoming new-generation Navara will also borrow from the already-on-sale Triton.

The bonds are also expected to deepen, with Nissan and Mitsubishi planning a US facility to produce plug-in hybrids together, while the latter will also lean on the former as a means to jump back into the electric vehicle (EV) space without the need to develop its technology from the ground up.

MORE: Mitsubishi Pajero to return in 2027 with hybrid power – report

Mr Bailey said, however, that Patrol is an iconic model for Nissan – a sentiment Mitsubishi shares with its Pajero – and that platform sharing for a flagship might not suit.

"It's not a B-segment, C-segment [vehicle], this is our flagship, this is what Nissan is," he said.

"We had discussions, but it did not materialise – it's a complex discussion."

However, when pressed if said discussions were ongoing or finished between Nissan and Mitsubishi, Mr Bailey chose not to answer directly.

"I'm not answering because, not that I want to say there's nothing secret really going on, [but] the message from me is 'this is our work, our essence' and there's no discussion [about that].

"It would be really difficult [to share the Patrol platform]."

MORE: Mitsubishi Pajero resurrection wanted in Australia

Nissan Vice-President of Product Strategy Ivan Espinosa meanwhile, alluded to the fact that the high-end Patrol would not fit within Mitsubishi's product philosophy.

"Anything that any partner would like to have access to [they have access to]," he said.

"This kind of segment, price, [and] position is probably not what Mitsubishi is looking at."

For reference, the current Patrol kicks off at $88,900 before on-road costs, and is classed as an upper large SUV.

It is expected the new Patrol, when it lands in Australian showrooms towards the end of 2026, will receive a price rise in line with updated equipment, engine, and styling.

The Pajero meanwhile, topped out at $63,490 when it was last offered in Exceed Final Edition guise in 2021, and was sized smaller than the Patrol to more closely compete with the Toyota Prado it originally inspired.

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