Like every other automaker under the sun, Mitsubishi is in the process of expanding its reach into Russia. In 2007, the automaker offloaded over 100,000 vehicles in the world's largest country (size, not population) and is looking to sell approximately 140,000 units this year.
Not surprisingly, it's chosen the Moscow Auto Show in August to unveil the next generation Pajero Sport SUV, before sales begin in South-East Asia, South America, Australia and the Middle East later this year.
The new Pajero Sport (or Challenger, depending on the market) is packing all the "active lifestyle" accoutrements you'd expect, including water-repellent seats, 2- or 3-row seating that can accommodate between five and seven passengers, and a waterproof luggage compartment that will come in handy after you've hiked through the volcanoes of Kamchatka.
Power will be provided by either a 2.5- or 3.2-liter common rail diesel, or if oilburners aren't your taste, a 3.5-liter V6 can send power to all four wheels through Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD system. However, don't expect to see the Pajero in the U.S. or Europe anytime soon.
In addition to bringing the good stuff (Lancer Evo, Ralliart) to Melbourne, Mitsubishi has some schlock on hand to counterbalance the awesome. We're talking about the automaker's "Panther" concepts, which leverage bling, decals, and that whole "dealer-installed accessory" vibe to create all-show/no-go machines of questionable taste. We find those "panther scratch" stickers to be particularly egregious -- they'd look right at home on a busted-up Paseo with 15-inch spinner hubcaps. Check out the attached gallery to see what you like most or least about the five Panther concepts. We think the Pajero fares the best of the bunch, and while we'd love to have the Triton pickup in general, we could do without the 22-inch cartoon wheels and graphics. The other three victims are the Colt (not too bad), Grandis minivan (above) and Lancer ES, whose Panther makeover begs the question, why do this when you can simply buy a GTS? They may wear the name of a predator, but these "Panthers" look like they'd be happier noshing on Friskies than fresh meat. Mitsubishi's excuse explanation for them follows after the jump.
