As can be expected now that Nissan is Mitsubishi’s largest shareholder, the two manufacturers will start cooperating closely in product development.
The first step as revealed by CardAdvice is building the Navara and Triton on the same platform. Instead of each one being built almost identically from the ground up, the automakers want each to have its own identity.
Nissan CEO and Chairman, Carlos Ghosn commented, “[It’s] very possible that we are going to use the same platform, but we’re going to develop the cars differently because the customers are not the same. But instead of two different platforms we can have them on the same platform but be completely different products. The cost of development and purchasing will be lower. A common platform, but different developments.”
In essence this means that the two vehicles will look different but be underpinned by the same architecture. There is no word on engine lineup and the development is still a way off, as refreshed versions of the Triton were launched last year. The next-generation of these bakkies is not expected before next decade.