Mitsubishi’s Australian team develops 20 accessories for new Pajero

Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s local accessories engineering team has developed 20 Genuine Accessories for the new Pajero, with work starting almost five years before the large SUV reaches showrooms in December.

The Australian team began working with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) in early 2022. It identified requirements such as pre-wiring, mounting points and vehicle structures so that locally developed items, including protection bars and towing equipment, were built into the vehicle program from the outset.

Steve Pearson, Mitsubishi Australia’s engineering manager for accessory development, joined the company in 1990 and moved into accessory engineering when local manufacturing ended in 2008.

“Australians ask a lot of their four-wheel drives. They tow caravans, travel off-road and cover enormous distances, so our accessories must be more than cosmetic additions. They need to be engineered as part of the vehicle experience,” Pearson says.

“The core of our role is to understand what Australian customers need, work with MMC and our suppliers to find the right engineering solution, and make sure the finished accessory works with the vehicle rather than against it.”

Early involvement gave the team access to CAD data, allowing concept work to start before physical vehicles existed. Engineers then fitted and tested prototype accessories on early cars at MMC’s Okazaki research and development facility in Japan.

“These visits, with access to the physical cars and the MMC engineering team years ahead of launch, let us fit and test prototype accessories to assess marketability, functionality, practicality and durability in line with the vehicle development schedule. From there, we work with specialist suppliers to turn the concepts into production-quality parts,” Pearson says.

Protection bars

Pearson says the Australian-developed and manufactured steel front protection bars, offered in hooped and hoopless versions, retain the Pajero’s full driver assistance functionality.

“We wanted something genuinely tough and functional, but we also knew from the beginning that it had to work with Pajero’s driver assistance technology. That required us to work with MMC, the styling team, the accessory supplier and the technology suppliers from the project’s infancy,” he says.

“That early collaboration is what has allowed us to bring those different requirements together for a front protection bar that looks tough and does its job, with no compromise to the Pajero’s active safety systems. Another point of pride is that it is manufactured in Australia.”

Towing

The Australian team also worked with MMC on the vehicle structure for towing, including reinforcement of the frame and modifications to ensure accurate installation of the towbar.

“The tow bar might not be the most glamorous accessory, but from an engineering perspective it is something we are incredibly proud of. With the close collaboration, we could look beyond simply designing a tow bar and work with MMC on how the vehicle accommodates it,” Pearson says.

“That means Australian customers will have a genuine towing solution designed around the way they use their vehicles. We can now offer a genuine weight distribution hitch, and our solution also supports the various off-road couplings touring Australians now demand.”

The range

The 20 locally developed accessories will be available from launch, designed by Australian companies and Australian-based engineers. The front protection bars, winch cradle, weight distribution hitch, headlamp protector, hood protectors and driving lamps are manufactured in Australia.

The range also includes an electric brake harness, LED light bar, black and polished nudge bars, roof rack, side protection bar, snorkel, towbar and towbar harness, and under-ride protection. The hood protectors come in clear, tinted and matte black finishes.

Genuine Accessories fitted before delivery are covered by Mitsubishi’s five-year, 100,000km new car warranty, or up to 10 years or 200,000km for vehicles eligible for the extended warranty with all scheduled servicing completed at a Mitsubishi dealer.