Future of Mitsubishi ASX still unclear

The future of the Mitsubishi ASX after the current model reaches the end of the line remains unclear as the small SUV soldiers into its fourteenth year on sale in Australia.

Mitsubishi executives told Australian media mid last year the company hoped to make a decision on how to replace the ageing model by the end of 2023, but the Japanese car maker is yet to announce its plans.

It is believed to be weighing up a number of options – which range from an all-new model, to a heavily-upgraded version of a Mitsubishi sold in South-East Asian markets with less stringent safety standards, and a Renault Captur with Mitsubishi badges (below).

Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott declined to outline succession plans for the ASX when asked at a recent media event, but told Drive "we will continue on selling that [current] car, until we have a replacement vehicle."

When asked whether a future generation of the Mitsubishi ASX could be based on the soon-to-be-updated Renault Captur – as it is Europe – Mr Westcott said:

"Having a small car in our portfolio is very important to us for obvious reasons, and we will continue through our parent company to examine a number of options available to us, which includes potential Alliance platforms.

"What that will be, and when that will land, I can’t say.

"Fortunately for us, as we sit here now, is that we cannot meet the demand for the [current generation] ASX, demand is exceeding our supply. So despite the fact that it is a fairly aged platform, there is still strong demand for that car."

Mitsubishi reported 945 examples of the ASX small SUV as sold in Australia in January 2024, down from 1096 in January 2023.

In 2023, 9176 examples of the ASX were reported as sold in 2023 – enough to become Mitsubishi Australia's third best-selling model, despite sales being down 8 per cent on the 12,753 reported as sold during 2022. 

The current-generation Mitsubishi ASX has received a minor update for 2024, with some small aesthetic changes, extra safety equipment and a new variant.

One potential candidate for replacing the ageing ASX is the XForce small SUV sold in South-East Asia, but its lack of five-star safety – and the cost of re-engineering it for the Australian market – is said to be a major hurdle.

Another choice comes in the form of Europe's ASX, which is a rebadged Renault Captur available with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains – an ideal candidate to meet stringent emissions targets due to come into force in Australia next year.