---
title: "Never Fear, the Mighty Mitsubishi Rally Support Kei Van Is Here"
date: "2025-01-07"
modified: "2025-01-07"
authors:
  - name: "Ronan Glon"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/ronan-glon"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/never-fear-the-mighty-mitsubishi-rally-support-kei-van-is-here"
categories:
  - "Mitsubishi News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Mitsubishi"
---

# Never Fear, the Mighty Mitsubishi Rally Support Kei Van Is Here

![Mitsubishi Delica Mini rally support vehicle](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/cropped-20250107_1_07r.jpg>)
*\<em\>Mitsubishi\</em\>*

Support vehicles are the unsung heroes of rallying: They lug around parts and personnel over grueling terrain yet they rarely get their chance to shine. We're pleasantly surprised Mitsubishi is bucking that trend and highlighting [the tiny *kei* van](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/honda-made-a-factory-tandem-axle-kei-truck-with-tank-treads-and-ones-for-sale-in-america>) it sent to the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally.

Held annually, [the Asia Cross Country Rally](<https://asiacrosscountryrally.com/>) takes competitors through some pretty gnarly conditions, including dirt and mud. The 2024 edition started in Surat Thani, Thailand, and ended five days and about 1,250 miles later in Kanchanaburi. Mitsubishi's official entry into the event was a modified [Triton pickup](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/2024-mitsubishi-triton-the-diesel-manual-single-cab-pickup-still-exists>), which took fifth, but I'd argue the real star of the show is [the Delica Mini](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-2023-mitsubishi-delica-mini-is-a-13700-awd-hybrid-reason-to-end-import-bans>) support car. It's the little *kei* van that could.

Preparing the Delica Mini for rally support duty required making numerous modifications. It features a lift kit, relatively meaty all-terrain tires, and a roof basket, among other aftermarket add-ons. I absolutely love the red mudflaps, which look a lot like the ones you'd see [on an Evo](<https://www.thedrive.com/car-reviews/1996-mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-iv-review>). There's no word on whether Mitsubishi made mechanical updates. Stock, this 133-inch-long van is powered by a 658cc three-cylinder engine rated at merely 52 horsepower. It's also available with a turbocharged version of the triple that puts 63 horsepower under the driver's right foot.

![Mitsubishi Triton for the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250107_1_05r.jpg>)
*Mitsubishi Triton Mitsubishi*

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250107_1_06r.jpg>)
*Mitsubishi Delica D:5 Mitsubishi*

Mitsubishi is so proud of the Delica Mini for finishing the race that it's displaying it at the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon alongside the Triton that raced in the Asia Cross Country Rally and [the Delica D:5](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/america-is-ready-for-the-mitsubishi-delica>) it also dispatched as a support vehicle. Even stock, the Delica Mini (which went on sale in Japan in 2023) stands out with rugged, SUV-like styling. Does its stint as a rally support vehicle warrant a more off-road-capable trim? I hope so.

Better yet: How about a rally series open exclusively to *kei* vans?

*Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com*

## Author
Ronan is a contributing writer for The Drive. He draws on over 15 years of experience to cover breaking industry news, cool one-off builds, and anything in between. He began writing for The Drive in 2021 and stepped into his current role in 2024. His obsession with cars started when a relative gave him a Majorette die-cast shortly after his first birthday. It hasn't flickered since. Ronan lives in France; He swapped Utah's Rocky Mountains, where he grew up, for the Alps. He's an avid hiker, mountain biker, and musician. He also restores classic European cars and mopeds, including a 1978 Citroen 2CV that he's rebuilding from the ground up.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/ronanglon>)