2024 Mitsubishi Xforce could become Australia’s next ASX

All-new compact SUV revealed for ASEAN markets, but won’t replace ASX here without extensive safety upgrades

The all-new 2024 Mitsubishi Xforce has been officially revealed at the 30th Indonesia International Auto Show, and the all-new small SUV could eventually replace the 13-year-old Mitsubishi ASX in Australia.

However, that won’t happen without significant safety upgrades because the Xforce has so far only been developed for markets with less stringent safety requirements like Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and ASEAN markets including the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, where it will be produced.

Based on the Mitsubishi XFC Concept that debuted last October, the 2024 Mitsubishi Xforce is an all-new front-wheel drive compact SUV powered by a four-cylinder petrol engine – like Mitsubishi Australia’s current ASX, which first launched here with petrol, diesel and both front- and all-wheel drivetrains in 2010, before quickly becoming the nation’s top-selling small SUV.

But the Xforce is claimed to bring class-leading interior space and ground clearance, plus a large 12.3-inch infotainment touch-screen integrated with an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, all wrapped in a blockier and more muscular exterior design.

Other new tech includes a wireless phone charger, front and rear smartphone holders, more USB charging ports and an eight-speaker premium Yamaha sound system.

Under the bonnet, all models will come with a less powerful 77kW/141Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a CVT automatic transmission, which Mitsubishi says has been tuned for refinement and efficiency, driving only the front wheels.

But there are four driving modes including Gravel, Mud and Wet settings, plus 18-inch alloy wheels, a tight 10.4m turning circle and a generous 222mm of ground clearance.

Measuring in at 4390mm long, 1810mm wide and 1660mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2650mm, the Xforce has the same width and wheelbase as the existing ASX but is 25mm longer and 20mm higher.

Inside the cabin, which is claimed to be more spacious than rivals like the popular MG ZS, Mazda CX-30 and Hyundai Kona, there are numerous storage compartments, reclining rear seats and a configurable boot.

In Europe, the original Mitsubishi ASX has already been replaced by a reclothed version of the Renault Captur revealed in September 2022, but it is only produced in left-hand drive. Right-hand drive production of Europe’s Captur-based ASX – which is underpinned by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-B platform – is a possibility for Mitsubishi Australia, but it remains a less preferable option to a re-engineered Xforce due to its higher cost and lack of ‘Mitsubishi-ness’.

Mitsubishi says it will decide what form Australia’s next ASX takes by the end of this year. In the meantime, Mitsubishi Australia’s official line on an ASX replacement reads:

“We understand how important this segment is and how big an impact ASX has had on it for over a decade.

“MMC [in Japan] is also aware of this and we continue to look for a ‘best solution’ that will ensure we continue to be well represented in this market, alongside Eclipse Cross, however there is no firm decision on when the current ASX will be replaced here.”

Speaking at the world debut of the new Mitsubishi Triton in Thailand recently, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott told Australian journalists that because the XFC/Xforce is based on the ASEAN region’s Xpander people-mover, in its current form it lacks the safety equipment necessary to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating – a requirement for many corporate fleets in Australia.

And he admitted that Mitsubishi was in a race against time to replace the aging ASX, which was tested by ANCAP in 2010 and 2014 but is now ‘unrated’ by the independent auto safety watchdog, and will likely not meet tighter safety and emissions standards due within three years.

“The XFC in its current form can’t be used because of the ANCAP requirements,” he said.

“If we took that XFC platform we would have to re-engineer the entire car for the Australian market, because the requirements of ANCAP are not requirements in the other markets where we will sell that vehicle.

“If you take the [annual sales] numbers – anything between 15,000 and 20,000 – the tooling investment and re-engineering costs to redesign the car for ANCAP’s requirements will be many, many, many millions of dollars, to be able to sell 20,000 vehicles a year? The numbers just don’t stack up.

“The reality is the XFC was developed on an existing platform that no longer meets current ANCAP requirements. It would have met ANCAP requirements a few years ago, but it no longer meets the current requirements.

“That doesn’t mean the XFC is off the table entirely, because... we may go ‘this is an important enough product to our market’ that we make that investment – even though it is wasted in other markets – to bring that product to Australia.”

Mitsubishi’s global vice-president of product development Hiroshi Nagaoka said the XFC/Xforce would require extensive and costly modifications to its electrical architecture and potentially even platform to meet the latest and highest NCAP safety standards in markets like the US, Europe and Australia.

“The XFC concept… is based on the current Xpander platform that’s really focused on ASEAN markets and some other countries, but not Australia, New Zealand or those developed countries.

“So honestly speaking, some of the equipment – electrical equipment, architecture and so on – it's not enough to comply with Australian regulations.

“If we want to comply with Australian regulations or other countries like the United States or Europe, we need to significantly modify those components or even the architecture itself. That’s why it’s a little bit difficult… to adopt the Australian regulations.”

Senior Mitsubishi executives stressed the importance of the ASX to the car-maker in Australia, where it remains the Japanese brand’s third most popular model behind the Outlander and Triton, and ahead of its only two other remaining models – Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport.

“Having an ASX replacement is very important for us and we are fighting, begging, crying, doing everything that we can to get an ASX replacement,” said Westcott.

“The reality is… our parent company understands the importance of that product for us and are working very hard on getting a vehicle for us.

“The problem is the answer is not a simple one – it’s a complex problem. And there are a number of options on the table that can be considered, and two of them were mentioned… the Renault Captur rebadged European version and the XFC concept. Those are the bookends.”

But Westcott indicated there may be other ASX options on the table apart from the Xforce or Captur, including a new small SUV to replace both the current ASX and Eclipse Cross.

“It’s not black and white, this or that. There’s a range of options within that,” he said.

“Between those extremes there are some options as well, which may be a Renault type of vehicle platform with lots of Mitsubishi-ness, or a Renault platform with less Mitsubishi-ness.”