Mitsubishi shows new L200 pickup

About 150 countries will get the new L200 starting in 2019.

Mitsubishi has given the L200 pickup truck a thorough update. The nip-and-tuck comes as the model celebrates its 40th birthday.

The L200 receives a new-look front end that borrows styling cues from the Dynamic Shield design language we've seen on Mitsubishi's recent concept cars. It's characterized by thin headlights mounted high up on the fascia, a narrow grille, and trim pieces that form a big X. The design brings the L200 in line with the Eclipse Cross.

Inside, Mitsubishi increased the use of soft-touch materials and fitted upmarket variants of the L200 with niceties like contrast stitching. There's a touch screen for the infotainment system in the center console. Buyers who want a top-spec truck can order driving aids like forward collision mitigation, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and an ultrasonic misacceleration mitigation system. It reduces accidents resulting from improper use of the accelerator when moving off or reversing in car parks and other confined spaces, according to Mitsubishi.

Power comes from a 2.4-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine tuned to make 178 horsepower at 3,500 rpm and 317 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm. It's bolted to either a six-speed automatic transmission -- an improvement over the current truck's five-speed automatic -- or a six-speed manual. Buyers can choose one of two four-wheel drive systems.

Mitsubishi will release specifications about the European-spec version of the L200 in the coming months. The truck will also go on sale in global markets like Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. All told, it will be distributed in nearly 150 countries worldwide. There's no indication we'll see it in the United States, however.