Mitsubishi Pajero Finally Going Out Of Production In 2021: Report

The death of the legend is imminent.

By: Angel Sergeev

Jul 27, 2020 at 8:57am ET

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With the Final Edition series, Mitsubishi retired the Pajero at its home market in April last year. The off-roader is still available in some regions of the world but it’s finally going to be discontinued globally if a new report is correct.

Nikkei has learned that Mitsubishi plans to rearrange and eventually close its Pajero Manufacturing plant, which is currently responsible for the production of the rugged SUV. The facility is located in the Gifu Prefecture and has seen a huge slump in production output in recent years, which makes it unprofitable to operate.

Gallery: Mitsubishi Pajero Final Edition

Logically, the plant closure should lead to the demise of the Pajero. This should happen at some point next year, according to Nikkei’s report, and an official confirmation could come as early as later this week. There’s no word from the automaker at this point.

First shown during the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the current generation Pajero is one of the longest-surviving model generations in recent times. Almost 15 years later, the body-on-frame off-roader is entering its final year of production following comprehensive facelifts in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015.

In Japan, the Final Edition of which 700 were assembled marked the end of the road for the Pajero. The once-popular SUV saw a major decrease in demand in 2018, when Mitsu managed to deliver less than 1,000 examples. The main reason for its sales slump is the SUV’s poor economy ratings, significantly overshadowed by the brand’s more efficient offerings like the Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross.

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