Mitsubishi Motors Set to Debut New Seven-Seater SUV Overseas

Mitsubishi Motors has been quite busy in the last year – investing in Ampere with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to get a new battery-electric vehicle (BEV), announcing “Momentum 2030”, shortly after revealing new model concepts between Nissan and Mitsubishi, and Mitsubishi Motors is joining Nissan and Honda for another adventure. Out of all of this, a new seven-seater SUV was never on the table. And yet, Mitsubishi Motors just teased a new seven-seater SUV concept, set to debut during the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS).

The PIMS runs from October 24-27, 2024, and has been going on for nine years. A meeting place for the latest automotive innovations, cutting-edge vehicle models, and groundbreaking concept cars, this is where Mitsubishi Motors is planning to debut its new seven-seater SUV. The teaser images give us a little sneak peek at the new SUV, but they don’t really say much. That leaves plenty of room for speculation and rumors.

We don’t like to mess around with rumors too much. They don’t usually hold a lot of water, but this one sounds possible. Remember the 2024 xForce Mitsubishi Motors launched overseas last year (2023)? Sad for us, the xForce was only made available in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. SO, unless you live in Southeast Asia, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or an African country, no luck. However, shortly after the xForce was launched, a Mitsubishi representative was quoted that the new xForce would also be the next core model for the automaker’s lineup.

This would mean that the xForce is the new model that Mitsubishi Motors could use as the foundation for upcoming models. Does a compact SUV really have that much reach, though? Unless it has a flexible platform, we’re not sure how an automaker can turn a five-seater into a seven-seater. This isn’t like a magician sawing their assistant in half – this would be real magic. Called the “DST Concept”, the new seven-seater also lends itself to the xForce because, once again, its main target audience is the ASEAN region.

Bummer, right? Maybe not. Based on the teaser images, the front fascia is reminiscent of the xForce, but the rear quarter panel (seen above) has a pretty interesting design choice. Are those ladder rungs built into the body of the SUV? Would possible reason could an SUV need a built-in ladder unless it was to climb to the top of the SUV? Maybe a roof storage rack is up there, or a pop-up tent, or other camping supplies. Mitsubishi Motors has one SUV geared towards adventure, and that’s the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Due for a new generation – we feel like it was kind of left out in 2022 – the Outlander Sport is the perfect candidate.

This would require some stretching out, since the Outlander Sport is a five-seater. Oddly enough, based on the teaser images, this new seven-seater could be smaller than the Outlander Sport. Like we said – magic. This is also why we don’t like speculation or rumors. So far, nothing is adding up. It doesn’t make any sense.

We’ll know more later this month (October 2024) when PIMS commences and Mitsubishi Motors makes the big reveal. Learn more about this mystery seven-seater SUV when you follow us on University Mitsubishi social media.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Motors Philippines