Mitsubishi Triton To Be Basis For New Fiat Utility: Report

Fiat may rebadge the Mitsubishi Triton and sell it under the Fiat Professional sub-brand from 2016, according to industry paper Automotive News.

If the rumours prove correct, it will be the first ladder-framed utility sold under the Fiat brand in its entire history. The company currently sells the Strada light utility, however its car-like unibody construction limits its usefulness as a work vehicle.

More crucially for Fiat, a Triton-based ute could play a major role in returning the company to profitability. Fiat Professional has proven itself to be a solid money-spinner, consistently posting profits between 200 and 300 million euros for the past decade.

By contrast, Fiat as a whole lost 2.15 billion euros in Europe over the past three years.

The estimated launch timeline sees the Triton-based Fiat ute arriving no sooner than 2016, meaning that we won't see the current MN Triton wearing a Fiat badge on its snout anytime soon.