Despite developing flagship versions of both the Mitsubishi Triton and its Nissan Navara twin, Australian firm Premcar doesn’t expect them to cannibalise one another – and the two utes will be sufficiently differentiated from each other.
Premcar, a second-stage automotive manufacturing business based in Victoria, was recently enlisted to develop and build Mitsubishi’s new flagship ute, the Triton Raider, using bespoke components specifically engineered to meet the brand’s stringent requirements.
Meanwhile Nissan, for whom Premcar has been developing Warrior vehicles since 2019, has tasked the firm with developing unique suspension for its new Navara. That was done to separate it from its donor vehicle, the Triton.
Though the two utes are essentially identical mechanically, Premcar senior engineering manager Andrew Lynch doesn’t expect the Triton Raider’s debut to affect the future Navara Warrior, which is currently in development.
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“It’s not really a concern for us, because we take what Mitsubishi wanted with the car – they had their own direction, their own target customer in mind – and we were able to tune the whole car, the tyres, the dampers, the springs, the jounce bumpers, to match exactly what they were after,” he told CarExpert.
“It’s a unique offering that’s completely separate from any of the other programs. [Parts are] all designed specifically for these guys and unique to them.”
The Raider’s upgrades over the Triton GSR include retuned steering, uniquely tuned Monroe suspension dampers with modified internals, 18-inch ROH alloy wheels, Bridgestone Dueler A/T 002 all-terrain tyres, front underbody protection, and beefy metal side steps.
Premcar’s modifications have resulted in ride height increases of 25mm up front and 15mm at the rear (maintaining the Triton’s original rear leaf springs), and a 20mm increase in track width due to the new wheels. It’s all capped by new badging and decals inside and out.
While a new-generation Nissan Navara Warrior has been confirmed, specifications have yet to be announced. It’ll almost certainly retain the same engine as the normal Navara: Mitsubishi’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine producing 150kW of power and 470Nm of torque.
It’ll be based on the top-spec Pro-4X and will almost certainly feature a wider track, unique off-road suspension, underbody protection, a new wheel and tyre package, and styling tweaks inside and out.
Though that all sounds very similar to the upgrades applied to the Triton Raider, Mr Lynch assured CarExpert that the two models will be distinct.
“The engineers that were involved in [the Raider] program are different engineers; we’re also using learning from 20 years of chassis-tuning experience as well,” he said.
“Saying we’ve learnt just from one previous platform is probably the wrong answer; we’ve learnt from a whole life of tuning dampers. The technology that we’re putting into [the Raider], the Monroe MTV valve, their standard global valve, is used everywhere in the world, and we’ve used it in the past as well.
“But [being] able to tune that valve specifically for this car is the key. Using engineers set for this program, focusing on the targets, hitting that target customer, and matching the tyres is really the key to success.”
Orders are now open for the Triton Raider, with deliveries commencing in June 2026. While the Navara Warrior was previewed in November 2025, it won’t be launched until later in 2026.
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