Nissan-Mitsubishi pickup JV confirmed off – new Navara developed separately from next-gen Triton

At the Q&A session during the launch of the new Nissan Navara in Bangkok on Wednesday, Nissan global product planning chief Andy Palmer confirmed that the JV between Nissan and Mitsubishi to co-develop the next-generation of their one-tonne pickups, namely the Navara and the Triton, had been called off.
When asked about what had happened to the 2010 agreement, Palmer said, “The collaboration project of the co-development of the pickups didn’t succeed, so we decided mutually to go our own way. Mitsubishi will make its own pickup – the NP300 Navara doesn’t share any common parts with Mitsubishi.”
This puts to rest all speculation regarding the commonality between the two pickups, and also means that the rumoured Fiat pickup – which was also reported to be based on a Mitsubishi ladder platform – won’t be built on the bones of the new Navara.

Palmer was, however, quick to point out that various other points of the joint venture with Mitsubishi, including the co-development of minicars for the Japanese market and the usage of the capacity at Mitsubishi’s plant at the Laem Chabang Industrial Estate in Choburi to build the outgoing Navara, remain unaffected.
Nissan Thailand president Hiroyuki Yoshimoto echoed his colleague by saying that “the production co-operation with Mitsubishi Thailand for existing Navara models will still exist for a few years, for export markets. That will continue until the end [of the current Navara's life].”
The replacement for the current Mitsubishi Triton, said to be inspired by the Concept GR-HEV from Bangkok 2013, is expected to be launched later this year.
Nissan NP300 Navara in Bangkok