Kim Kardashian uses Mitsubishi Pajero Sport as ‘decoy’ in Australia

For most of us, going incognito involves donning a fake moustache or silly hat, but for Kim Kardashian it's apparently simply a matter of driving a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

In this week's edition of 'news no one asked for', it's been reported the reality TV star went to great lengths to hide from photographers and fans during a recent trip to Queensland's Port Douglas to visit her boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson.

As part of this elaborate undercover operation, Kardashian was forced to – brace yourselves – be chauffeured around in a 2020 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

According to a source who spoke to Daily Mail Australia, the American celebrity "wasn't pleased" with the choice of car and would have preferred a black Mercedes-Benz van, but "settled" because of the limited amount of cars available to rent in Cairns.

While paparazzi couldn't capture Kardashian on camera, they were able to photograph the Pajero Sport in question, covered in mud and parked outside Sheraton Grand Mirage hotel villa where the couple stayed.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported Kardashian's security detail were "even further downgraded" and forced to drive a 2021 Kia Carnival. The horror.

In response to Kardashian and her crew's alleged disappointment, a Kia Australia spokesperson told Drive the starlet's security team would hopefully have been pleasantly surprised.

"Kia Australia is confident Ms Kardashian and Mr Davidson were pleasantly surprised with their recent covert drive in our new GUV [people mover]. The Kia Carnival might not be their usual first choice but it’s great they got to experience the comfort of the number one best-selling model in its segment for 84 consecutive months since 2015," Kia Australia said in a statement.

While both the Pajero Sport and Carnival regularly rate in the top-selling models in their respective segments in Australia, they're a far cry from the highly customised prestige rides Kardashian is used to.

The Los Angeles-based star has a vast car collection, but according to a Vogue video, she counts her favourite cars as her Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Ghost, and – her so-called "favourite baby" – the Mercedes-Maybach S580.

All three cars are finished in a matching custom paint shade called 'ghost grey' – requiring each vehicle to be meticulously disassembled, painted, then reassembled by Los Angeles-based outfit Platinum Motorsports (you can watch the process play out here).

"I've always been a car girl, I love cars. I wanted my cars to blend in – my house is grey and I wanted them to match the house," Kardashian explained.

Excluding the price of the custom work – which has been estimated to cost in excess of $US100,000 – the three cars together are valued at almost $AU1.4 million (before on-road costs) when purchased new.

That's roughly 11 times the price of a top-of-the-range 2020 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and 2021 Kia Carnival combined.