Mitsubishi has confirmed it will only offer one manual version of its updated Triton for the 2026 model year – instead of three – making it one of only two three-pedal midsize cars available in Australia, alongside the Toyota HiLux.
The best-selling Ford Ranger ditched the manual transmission option entirely when the current generation was introduced in 2022, ending a series of gear-changers dating back to Lew Bandt’s famous Model 40 Coupe Utility, which pioneered the Australian ute genre in 1934.
While Ford’s global boss Jim Farley said Daily Sparkz Last month the manual version of its iconic Mustang sports car was forced out of the automaker’s “cold, dead hands,” but manual crew-cab 4x4s have proven not so sacred.
The Isuzu D-Max – the third best-selling small car in Australia last year behind the Ranger and HiLux – also dropped manual options in 2025.
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Fourth on Australia’s crowded commercial vehicle sales ladder was the Mitsubishi Triton, whose range of manual vehicles has since been reduced.
However, for its MY26 update, due in local showrooms next month, Mitsubishi has retained a single three-pedal model variant: the Triton GLX 4×4 double cab chassis chassis, priced at $47,490 before on-road costs.
“The trend to reduce the number of manual models is following the market, particularly in fleets where many now only require automatic models,” a Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson said Daily Sparkz.
“There continues to be some demand (around 11 percent) for the GLX Dual Cab Chassis 4×4 manual gearbox, targeting smaller fleet/private buyer types.”
That 11 percent represents around 2,079 manual transmission Tritons based on combined sales of the entire lineup in 2025.
The HiLux, which entered a new generation in December 2025, continues to offer two manual variants: the $33,990 (plus on-road costs) Workmate 4×2 and the SR 4×4.
Toyota told Daily Sparkz The manual continues to be a strong seller, reflecting the company’s previous disclosure that almost half of all HiLuxes sold go to fleet vehicles.
“Manual variants currently account for around 10 per cent of HiLux sales,” Toyota Australia said.
Based on 2025 figures – a total of 51,297 units in the 4×2 and 4×4 HiLux variants – that equates to more than 5,129 manual HiLux buyers, which is enough for Toyota to continue offering this option.
“There are no immediate plans to change the availability of manual variants in the HiLux range,” Toyota said.
“We regularly review the offering to ensure it continues to reflect customer demand, market conditions and regulatory requirements.”
This leaves the HiLux SR5 as the only manual style-side (as opposed to cab/chassis) mid-size pickup truck for sale in Australia, and when it comes to manual cab/chassis variants, it’s HiLux, Triton or nothing.
Even scaling up, manual options are limited to the LandCruiser 70 series in two variants, which Toyota says accounts for around 40 percent of total sales – about 4,000 vehicles based on full-year 2025 figures.
Full-size U.S. pickups — including the Toyota Tundra, Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 — are sold locally only in automatic form.
With the rise of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and electric cars, there are no new manual pickups on the horizon, leaving the HiLux and Triton in the running for the final spot in Australia’s popular midsize ute segment.
MORE: Explore the Mitsubishi Triton showroom
MORE: Explore the Toyota HiLux showroom
