Mitsubishi worked together with the Italian design company Pininfarina to develop and produce the Pajero Pinin, also known as Shogun Pinin, IO, or just Pinin.
The first Pinin rolled out from the assembly line in Japan in 1998, while the first European-built vehicle came out from Italy in late 1999. Mitsubishi noticed the rising demand for small SUVs and, considering its experience in building 4x4 and AWD vehicles, and couldn’t stay aside.

It might not be the best project that came out from the Pininfarina design studios, but worth mentioning that the talks between the two companies started in 1996, it was signed in 1997, and the car was unveiled at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. It looked like a shrunk second-generation Pajero/Montero. With its small segment sizes, it could fit almost everywhere. Its short cabin didn’t allow the carmaker to install the spare wheel inside or under the vehicle and mounted it on the rear door, which was side-hinged.

The interior didn’t look like Pininfarina made it. The boxy design with flat panels looked similar to those from other off-road vehicles built by Mitsubishi. Due to the short wheelbase, there was hardly enough room for two adult passengers in the back seats. Even a child could have trouble fitting in there unless the front occupants had short legs.

Under the hood, Mitsubishi installed a direct-injected 1.8-liter engine, which provided 120 hp. The carmaker paired it either with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Unlike other SUVs, the Pinin featured Mitsubishi’s SS4-i viscous coupling-type four-wheel-drive system, a smaller and lighter upgrade of the Super Select 4WD system. The system allowed the driver to select from four modes to choose the optimum one for any particular road surface.

The evolution of the compact-sized SUVs made Mitsubishi build one and launched it in 1998 in a three-door version, but realized its mistake and offered it five doors from 2001.
Despite being one of the best offroad carmakers in the world, Mitsubishi didn’t look too close to what Honda, Toyota, or Subaru did and started too late in the compact-SUV segment. Since the Japanese design didn’t always fit the European tastes, it hired Pininfarina to build the car and even named it Pajero/Montero/Shogun Pinin, depending on the market.

It had to look like a tough offroad car, but its size didn’t help it. Its vertical side panels were good while going on the tracks but didn’t look that well for a street vehicle. At least, it didn’t look like a high-lifted station wagon like the Subaru Forester. Its squared headlights resembled those installed in the Pajero/Montero/Shogun. The steep windshield and vertical side windows formed a squared greenhouse. At least it featured a third window behind the rear doors. To emphasize the offroad look of the car, Mitsubishi installed the spare wheel on the rear, side-hinged door.

The interior didn’t look like Pininfarina made it. The boxy design with flat panels looked similar to those from other off-road vehicles built by Mitsubishi. Since the car was narrow, there was limited hip and shoulder room for three adults in the back and, despite the added longer wheelbase than the three-door version, it still didn’t provide enough legroom for full-grown adults.

From the offroad point of view, the Pinin was far more capable than its direct competitors. Mitsubishi didn’t cut corners and provided the car with a capable 4x4 system, including a low-range transfer box. Moreover, the top trim level featured a standard limited-slip rear differential, optional for the rest of the range.