In presenting its mid- to long-range plans recently, Mitsubishi Motors got the truck media buzzing with a brief mention of a new pickup for the U.S.
In releasing its Mid-Long Term Vision on May 29, the Japan-based company listed beside North America, “New pickup collaboration project with Nissan.”
The presentation outlined steps for Mitsubishi to improve profitability. For the United States, it listed:
- Enhance brand strength by expanding off-road models.
- Enter new segments through collaboration projects with Nissan.
- Open new dealerships in urban areas through satellite shops.
“In the U.S., we will enhance our brand strength by rolling out off-road models, and newly enter the pickup truck market through our collaboration project with Nissan,” according to the presentation.
It added that the “collaboration project for a new pickup truck” would use “Nissan’s production plant in North America.”
A spokesperson for Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi, told the Clarion Ledger on June 3 that it is not disclosing any specific plans about a collaboration but that it does plan to add a midsize pickup.
Mitsubishi’s last pickup for this continent was the midsize Raider, which ended with the 2010 model year. Before that, the company offered the Mighty Max pickup, discontinued in the U.S. in 1996. The company still makes its Triton pickup for international markets.
Nissan acquired a controlling interest in Mitsubishi in 2016. Nissan currently makes only one pickup for the U.S., the midsize Frontier. Its production here of the full-size Titan ended with the 2024 model.
The Mitsubishi presentation did not provide any further details about the pickup planned for North America or when and where production would begin.
Mitsubishi is not the only foreign manufacturer planning to bring new pickups to the U.S.
South Korea-based Kia recently teased to a midsized truck called the Tasman. Kia plans to launch its first pickup for North America by 2030. The truck made its market debut in 2025 in South Korea.
Kia’s sister company, Hyundai, also has plans for a new pickup in the U.S. It announced it is discontinuing its compact Santa Cruz, which launched in 2022. The company plans to introduce a new midsize model by 2030 called the Boulder.
