Spy shots of a new Mitsubishi are few and far between, so whenever a fresh batch arrives, we are usually taken by surprise. A midsize truck sold under many names, the L200 / Triton / Strada / Ram 1200 / Fiat Fullback is currently in its fifth generation. It was unveiled in 2014 and got a radical mid-cycle facelift in 2018. Fast forward to the end of January 2021, the revamped pickup has been caught in Sweden getting ready for the next gen.
Being a test mule, there's not much to say in terms of design since it carries over the current ute's body. However, our spies have told us it had a slightly longer wheelbase, which could be a sign of a different platform. That would make sense since the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is likely searching for new cost-cutting measures to potentially bring the Navara and L200 onto the same architecture.
Gallery: 2023 Mitsubishi L200 spy photos
As a refresher, the current Navara spawned a Renault Alaskan and the ill-fated Mercedes X-Class. In addition, Nissan is no longer making the Navara in Europe where the utilitarian vehicle had been assembled at the Barcelona factory. Production ended in December 2021 when the plant was closed. However, a company representative said sales will continue for a while in 2022 until the remaining stock will be cleared.
If the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi aims to sell its new trucks on the Old Continent, chances are a hybrid and/or plug-in hybrid powertrain could be planned to meet tougher emissions regulations. We are not expecting the L200 to be mechanically related to the latest Frontier sold in the United States because the new truck still has most of the same old bones underneath the fresh appearance.
It is believed that even though the L200 and Navara will likely share many of the underpinnings, Mitsubishi and Nissan are going to substantially differentiate the two in terms of styling. The next-gen L200 should lead the way either by the end of this year or 2023, with the Navara apparently coming at a later date.
They'll face some stiff competition from the revamped Ranger, which will spawn a high-performance Raptor version in February. As for the chances of a next Alaskan, we wouldn't necessarily count on it, let alone a new X-Class...
