Mitsubishi Triton Athlete and AT Premium Championship Edition revealed for Malaysia, from RM155k

KUALA LUMPUR: Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia is set to roll out a new special edition version of its pick-up truck with the arrival of the 2026 Mitsubishi Triton Championship Edition, due to go on sale on 11 March 2026.

Created to mark Mitsubishi’s win in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2025, the Championship Edition brings extra kit, unique styling details and a more motorsport-themed look to two existing variants, the Triton Athlete and Triton AT Premium.

Also Read: Why the Mitsubishi Xforce feels like a new kind of SUV for Malaysia

Rather than being a fully reworked model, this is essentially a factory-backed appearance and equipment package designed to tie the road-going Triton more closely to Mitsubishi’s recent rally success.

The brand is also clearly leaning into the Triton’s motorsport credentials, using the AXCR victory as a way to give the pick-up a bit more character and showroom appeal.

Buyers will have two versions to choose from. The Mitsubishi Triton Athlete Championship Edition is limited to 150 units and comes exclusively in Jet Black Mica, while the Mitsubishi Triton AT Premium Championship Edition will be limited to 120 units and offered only in White Diamond.

The Athlete version is positioned as the more premium and more serious-looking of the two. Finished only in black, it gets a set of visual and equipment upgrades aimed at giving it a tougher and more purposeful image, while also adding a bit more day-to-day usability. Mitsubishi says the changes were chosen not just for looks, but also to improve things like visibility when parking, off-road confidence and cabin ambience.

On the outside, the Triton Athlete Championship Edition gets exclusive body decals and all-terrain tyres, the latter giving it a chunkier stance and potentially more grip on rougher surfaces.

Inside, the additions include a 9-inch infotainment system, an All-Round Monitor to help with manoeuvring in tighter spaces, and championship-themed headrest covers inspired by Mitsubishi’s rally programme.

The Triton AT Premium Championship Edition takes a slightly different route. It is pitched more as a sporty lifestyle-oriented version for buyers who want something that stands out a bit more in everyday use, whether that is for work, family duties or just personal taste.

Compared with the Athlete, the AT Premium package puts more emphasis on appearance upgrades.

This version gets 18-inch black sports rims, a styling bar, front lower bumper garnish, distinctive body decals, and the same championship aesthetic headrest covers as the Athlete. Mitsubishi is limiting this one to 120 units, so it is clearly meant to sit as a more exclusive spin on the regular AT Premium rather than a high-volume variant.

Pricing for the special editions has been set at RM169,980 for the Triton Athlete Championship Edition and RM155,980 for the Triton AT Premium Championship Edition, both on-the-road without insurance.

As part of the launch package, customers who place a booking for either version will also receive an exclusive key fob case cover and a motorsports sticker pack. Those extras are hardly deal-makers on their own, but they do fit the theme Mitsubishi is pushing here.

Beyond the special edition treatment, the Triton itself remains one of the more serious pick-up trucks in the segment when it comes to off-road hardware and powertrain options.

Both Championship Edition models are based on the latest-generation Triton, which brought with it Mitsubishi’s new Hyperpower 4N16 diesel engine and an updated chassis setup.

In the Triton Athlete, the 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel uses a two-stage turbocharging system and produces 204 PS and 470 Nm. That gives it a healthy output figure for a pick-up in this class, with torque arriving lower in the rev range to make it more usable in everyday driving and low-speed off-road conditions.

The Triton AT Premium uses a lower-output version of the same 2.4-litre 4N16 turbo diesel, producing 184 PS and 430 Nm. It may not have the same headline numbers as the Athlete, but it still offers more than enough shove for what most buyers in this segment are likely to need.

The drivetrain split also reflects the difference in positioning between the two models. The Triton Athlete continues to use Mitsubishi’s more advanced Super Select 4WD-II system, while the AT Premium is fitted with the simpler Easy Select 4WD setup.

In the Athlete, the Super Select 4WD-II system allows drivers to choose between 2H, 4H, 4HLc, and 4LLc using a dial selector, and it works together with seven drive modes.

These include Normal, Eco, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Sand, and Rock, depending on the selected four-wheel-drive setting. It is one of the more flexible 4WD systems in the pick-up market, and one of the reasons the Triton Athlete has been taken more seriously by buyers who actually venture off the tarmac.

The AT Premium’s Easy Select 4WD system is more straightforward, offering 2H, 4H, and 4L. It is less sophisticated on paper, but still gives the truck genuine off-road capability, especially for the kind of mixed-use lifestyle most dual-cab buyers actually live with.

The Athlete also gets Active Yaw Control (AYC), a feature Mitsubishi has carried over from its passenger car and SUV technology. The system lightly brakes the inside front wheel during cornering to help improve turn-in and stability, while also managing torque distribution when traction is limited. In a pick-up, that is still relatively unusual, and it gives the Triton a bit more technical depth than some rivals.

On the safety front, the Triton Athlete comes with Mitsubishi Motors Safety Sensing, which bundles together systems such as Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Warning with Lane Change Assist, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Across the range, the Triton also gets Active Stability and Traction Control, along with Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist.

The Championship Edition’s existence is tied directly to Mitsubishi’s rally result in Thailand last year. At the Asia Cross Country Rally 2025, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart took overall victory with the Triton-based race truck after covering 2,316.32 km, including 1,002.95 km of Special Stages, over the course of the event held from 8 to 16 August 2025.

In the final classification, Chayapon Yotha took overall victory with a total time of 16 hours, 15 minutes and 12 seconds. Katsuhiko Taguchi finished fifth overall, while Kazuto Koide came home in 22nd place. Mitsubishi also secured the Team Award, marking the second time it has done so and its first in two years.

That backstory gives the Championship Edition some context, but it is still very much a showroom special rather than a hardcore rally replica. What Mitsubishi is selling here is a limited-run Triton with extra visual appeal, some added equipment and a stronger tie-in to the brand’s motorsport success.

For buyers already considering a Triton, that may be enough. For everyone else, it is another reminder that the pick-up market in Malaysia has become as much about image and identity as it is about payload and towing figures.

Also Read: What Mitsubishi learned the hard way Is exactly why the Triton feels so easy to live with