A T(R)itanic Battle

Things have been quiet at the Mitsubishi SA headquarters recently. But business is looking up, with the launch of the latest Mitsubishi Triton. Featuring a bold new look and with plenty of safety features, it has the potential to change Mitsubishi’s fortunes in the sales department. We pit the new Triton against SA’s favourite bakkie (and vehicle), the Toyota Hilux.

A week.

That’s the margin by which we missed the chance to include the updated Ford Ranger in this test.

The folks at Mitsubishi are probably relieved about this timing mismatch. Although you need to look really closely to spot the obvious difference between the new Ranger and its predecessor, it’s the new two-liter twin-turbocharged diesel engine, coupled to a 10-speed automatic gearbox that could be a game-changing combination in the bakkie market.

The new Triton lined up against SA’s most popular bakkie by far, the Toyota Hilux. The bakkie that’s been setting the benchmark to which all other bakkies have been measured.

But before we delve into any comparisons, a short summary of the new Triton.

CAN A TRITON A DAY MAKE THE SALES PAINS GO AWAY?

Some perspective: in Australia, the Triton has recorded some impressive sales numbers. Like the third bestselling vehicle (of all vehicles) in June 2018, with only the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger beating it to the line.

Here in SA, it’s a whole different game, and to call a spade a spade, Triton sales have not lived up to Mitsubishi’s expectations. In February this year, for example, only 25 units were sold, compared to the Hilux’s 3 504 bakkies and the Ranger’s 2 578.

It’s never been a bad bakkie. On the contrary, it’s outstanding. But the days when more than 1 000 Mitsubishi Colts were sold in a month are long gone. The reason? Hah, bring out that crystal ball… But essentially a series of delays saw the introduction of the latest Triton postponed by several years. Eventually, Fiat’s Triton clone, the Fullback, was introduced here... ahead of the actual Triton.