Mitsubishi is promising the “Return of a Legend” at the Chicago Auto Show in February. The company has released a teaser image with the silhouette of an SUV perched atop a sand dune.
The teaser image has led some to predict that the Montero or Pajero nameplate will be making a return. The Montero, as you may recall, was Mitsubishi’s large SUV sold in the US from 1982 to 2006. However, that was a concession to the North American market, as its true name elsewhere in the world was Pajero, a species of Patagonian leopard. Unfortunately, “pajero” is, in some Latin American countries, also a slang term for an onanist. The SUV has also been sold as the Dodge Raider and, in the UK, the Mitsubishi Shogun.
The Pajero is legendary for being one the winningest car ever in the grueling Dakar Rally, which Mitsubishi has won 12 times, including a record-breaking seven times in a row between 2001-07, until the automaker pulled out of the event following the global financial crisis and a drastic change in the race due to threat of terrorism.
However, Autoblog is reporting that Mitsubishi spokesman Alex Fedorak has said that the company is “giving the GC-PHEV concept its North American debut, after originally unveiling it at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. While it’s purely a concept, the vehicle is “a designer’s rendering of what a new Montero could look like.”
The Chicago Auto Show begins February 12.
Images by Ben Hsu.
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