It’s official: After around 15 years on the Australian market, the current Mitsubishi ASX is finally being retired.
The budget-friendly small SUV will be replaced by a model that, since 2023, has been wearing the Mitsubishi ASX nameplate in Europe: a rebadged Renault Captur.
An incoming Australian Design Rule (ADR) – 98/00, mandating specific technical requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems – has forced Mitsubishi to axe the current model as it will no longer be compliant from March 1, 2025.
The incoming regulation will also spell the end of the current Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport, though Mitsubishi says it has been able to shore up supply of all of these vehicles into 2025.
It has confirmed the new ASX will launch during this year, but hasn’t said when exactly.
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Mitsubishi also hasn’t confirmed how much the new ASX will cost, or what powertrains it will be offered with locally.
“We look forward to sharing more details of this intriguing new SUV as we move closer to its market launch in 2025,” said Mitsubishi Motors Australia (MMAL) CEO Shaun Westcott.
The current ASX is priced from $24,490 to $35,240 before on-road costs, while the Renault Captur that its replacement will be based on was priced from $33,000 to $39,500 before on-roads last year. An updated model is due here this year.
In Europe, the Captur-based ASX is offered with a choice of three petrol powertrains:
- A turbo 1.0-litre three-cylinder with 67kW, mated with a six-speed manual
- A turbo 1.3-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid with 103kW, mated with a six-speed manual
- A turbo 1.3-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid with 116kW, mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto
- A 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid with a total system output of 105kW and a ‘multi-mode’ automatic
Unlike its Captur twin, the ASX isn’t offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain in Europe.
In addition to pricing and specifications, we also don’t know how much supply Mitsubishi will be able to secure of the European ASX.
The current ASX has historically been one of Australia’s top-selling small SUVs. It was number one in its segment as recently as 2020, while last year it was fifth.
With 12,330 sales, the ASX was outsold only by the Mazda CX-30 (12,672), GWM Haval Jolion (14,238), Hyundai Kona (17,374) and MG ZS (22,629).
The confirmation of the European ASX ends several years of speculation as to what would replace the dated SUV, known elsewhere as the RVR and Outlander Sport.
Mitsubishi introduced a new small SUV for Southeast Asia called the Xforce, but it isn’t compliant with Australian regulations.
That left just the European ASX, particularly as Mitsubishi couldn’t simply leave the Eclipse Cross as its lone small SUV here as it will also fall foul of local regulations from March 1, 2025.
The use of a vehicle from Renault invites questions as to how long Mitsubishi’s new ASX will last, given the Alliance the two brands are part of with Nissan appears to be on its last gasps and a mega-merger between Nissan, Honda and potentially Mitsubishi is in the offing.
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Xforce
Mitsubishi has previously said the Xforce could be offered outside of Southeast Asia.
Company CEO Takao Kato in October 2022 said he “[hoped] to grow the model from a vehicle for the ASEAN market to a global strategic vehicle” while also confirming an electrified version will be offered.
That could leave the European ASX as a stopgap in Australia.
When the European ASX was first revealed in 2022, it couldn’t have been more obvious this was a rebadge.
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Pre-facelift ASX -
Pre-facelift Captur -
Facelifted ASX -
Facelifted Captur
Even the grille still had the shape of the Renault diamond logo on it, while down back the diamond was replaced with an ugly protruding reversing camera.
A facelift in 2024 gave it a slightly more cohesive look, though changes from the Renault remain limited.
The ASX and the revived Colt, a rebadged Renault Clio, were revealed in 2022 shortly after Mitsubishi announced in 2020 it was exiting Europe and then did a U-turn in 2021.
In the end, it only ended up quitting the UK market.
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2013 Citroën C4 Aircross. -
2012 Peugeot 4008 -
2024 Mitsubishi ASX
Mitsubishi has offered a rebadged Renault in Australia before with the Express van, which was a Trafic with three diamonds on the grille instead of one big one.
Launched in 2020, Mitsubishi axed it in 2022 citing global business and supply chain issues, though a controversial zero-star ANCAP safety rating didn’t help its reputation.
The Captur-based ASX marks a reversal of roles for Mitsubishi ASX, which was sold for five years by Renault’s French rivals Citroen and Peugeot as the C4 Aircross and 4008, respectively.
These two models were stopgaps as Citroen and Peugeot parent Groupe PSA grappled with financial problems and worked to flesh out its then-limited crossover lineup.
It’s unclear whether the ASX will live on in markets like Japan and Thailand. The Mirage was felled by an ADR in 2021, but it remains on Mitsubishi price lists in not only these markets but also Europe and the US.
