Over and out: Mitsubishi Pajero to cease production in 2021

The car is one of the world's best-known SUVs and a stalwart in the UAE

The Pajero had a reputation for toughness. Courtesy Mitsubishi

Katsuhiko Kawasoe, President of Mitsubishi, introduces the new Pajero at the company's headquaters in Tokyo in 1999. AFP

A Pajero 3.2 DI-D at the Geneva Car Show in 2000. Reuters

Snoopy introduces the Pajero Mini Snoopy version in Tokyo, Japan, in 2000. Reuters

A Pajero concept car on display during the Sydney International Motorshow in Australia in 2003. Getty

A customer admires a Pajero at a company showroom in Tokyo, Japan. AFP

The three-door Pajero. Courtesy Mitsubishi

A Pajero at the Paris Motor Show in 2006. AFP

The fourth generation model in 2006. Reuters

Pajeros await shipmentat Nagoya, Japan. Bloomberg

Workers are seen assembling a Pajero in Bekasi, Indonesia. Reuters

Visitors look at a Pajero Sport at the 2018 Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta. AFP

Models wearing face masks pose next to a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Elite Edition at the 41st Bangkok International Motor Show 2020. Getty

And off it goes. Courtesy Mitsubishi

You’ve seen plenty of them barrelling along on the UAE’s roads, but the time has come to bid farewell to the Mitsubishi Pajero – the manufacturer has announced production is to come to a halt in 2021 and the mid-size SUV will be consigned to the scrapyard in the sky.

It’s all business-related, of course, this decision to terminate one of the world’s best-known 4x4s.

Like most companies not making toilet tissue or personal protective equipment, Mitsubishi has taken a hammering due to the economic problems created by the coronavirus. However, the Japanese carmaker was experiencing problems before the pandemic hit though.

So it is that, as part of a restructuring plan, the company said it would stop making Pajeros and close Sakahogi, the plant in Japan where they are built. Sales of the Pajero had been in decline, so something had to give.

This particular vehicle has enjoyed some high times though. The Pajero was a twinkle in the eye of Mitsubishi’s design engineers way back in the 1970s. The first production models arrived in 1981, but a prototype appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show considerably earlier in 1973.

The car has had four distinct overhauls in its lifetime, and the design, which started out not looking dissimilar to a block on wheels, has matured into something considerably more streamlined.

Here in the UAE, the Pajero’s main competitors have traditionally been the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol, which, let’s face it, was never going to make Mitsubishi sales staff anything other than sweaty palmed due to the popularity of those pair of beasts. The Pajero did shift some units though, not least in the US, where it was known as the Montero. Over the course of its first foray onto the world stage 38 years ago, there have been 3.3 million models sold.

All kudos to the Pajero in racing terms though as it won the Dakar Rally 12 times and still holds the record for the highest number of individual stage victories in the event, which, as anyone familiar with that distinctly hairy contest will tell you, is a considerable achievement.

Tough car, then. Many will miss it.