JEDDAH, 4 April 2007 -- Mitsubishi's fourth generation Pajero made its debut at a media conference at the showroom of Alesayi Motors Corporation on Madinah Road here yesterday.
"True to the company's philosophy of 'evolution not revolution,' many of the changes to the all-new Pajero have taken place under the skin," Bandar Saeed Alesayi, assistant deputy general manager at Alesayi Motors Corporation, exclusive distributor of Mitsubishi vehicles in Saudi Arabia, said.
The 2007 Pajero has been designed and built incorporating the Dakar Rally winning technology, the toughest race in the world, he added.
Since the inception of the Dakar Rally in 1979, an annual off-road endurance race that was then known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, the Pajero won the much-coveted championship award 12 times, with seven straight wins from 2001 to 2007.
The rally is not a conventional one as the terrain competitors traverse is much tougher and the vehicles used are true off-road versions rather than the modified sedans used in other rallies.
Many vehicle manufacturers exploit the harsh environment the rally offers as a testing ground and consequently to demonstrate the durability of their vehicles.
"Pajero's accomplishments is a testimony to the fact that it has no contenders and is in its own class," Mark Pocock, general manager of sales and marketing at Alesayi Motors, said.
Available in three-door and five-door models, the "much improved" Pajero 2007 claims to have passed the international ratings for reliability, endurance, crash-worthiness, comfort and environmental performance, on top of the other highly-advanced technical and technological features.
"The all-terrain, all-weather new Pajero has proved its worth after passing the harshest actual driving tests from temperatures ranging up to minus 40 degrees in northern Europe to off-road driving in the deserts of Middle East and Africa as well as Australian outback conditions," he added.
The fourth generation Pajero 4x4 SUV, the forerunner of which was first launched in 1982, comes with a new powerful, high performance 3.8 liter and 3-liter engines with automatic transmission.
For the first time, the fourth generation Pajero is also available with a powerful 3.2 liter common rail diesel engine. "The use of a mid-ship engine and gearbox positioning rather than a frontal design ensures better handling and off-road capabilities," Pocock said, adding that "the engines provide a happy marriage between high output and environmental performance."
The new model is packed with safety features and new technologies to include an upgraded active stability and traction control system that can accommodate the installation of a new rear differential lock, a weight-reducing aluminum engine hood, and stiffer body joints and use of more plated steel sheet for improved durability and reliability.
By K.S. Ramkumar
© Arab News 2007
