Mitsubishi ASX successor coming – eventually

Despite a sales slump that has seen the evergreen Mitsubishi ASX relinquish its top-three position in the small SUV segment this year, the Japanese brand is confident the ASX has a future here beyond the current generation.

The Mitsubishi ASX has routinely been one of the top-selling small SUVs in Australia over the past several years, but a recent sales slide has seen it become the only model in Mitsubishi’s portfolio to go backwards in popularity in 2022.

Exacerbating the issue is supply and the car’s age (the ASX was released 12 years ago in 2010), which means a replacement is long overdue but that vehicle – which is expected to share its DNA with the next Renault Captur – will be built in France, not Japan, adding cost to a model that competes in a very price-sensitive segment.

Mitsubishi Australia is yet to confirm whether the futuristic-looking new French-sourced ASX will be sold Down under, but executives told carsales the ASX is a vital part of its local range and there are no plans to axe it like the Mirage light car was.

“Our brand is focussed on SUVs, not passenger cars, and ASX is still a really important model for us. It’s now the entry point to our brand and we’re currently working through what the successor to that car will look like,” said Mitsubishi Australia’s senior manager of product strategy, Owen Thomson.

If Mitsubishi does not choose the European-market ASX to replace its current small SUV it’s not clear what model would take its place, but the brand’s local product planning boss appeared confident the ASX would not fall by the wayside.

“I can’t say any more than that, but small SUVs are very important to us and to get that right as the entry model to the brand is very important,” he added.

The Euro-spec Mitsubishi ASX will be offered with four petrol engines, including two conventional units along with regular and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

Expected to be based on the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance’s B-segment (CMF-B) platform architecture, the new ASX will be fitted with much higher levels of technology than the current SUV and will almost certainly be accompanied by a higher price as a result.

Shaun Westcott, Mitsubishi Australia’s CEO, wouldn’t be drawn on when and how the next ASX will take form Down Under, but said the current sales slump was due to supply issues.

“Let me start by saying the ASX is still extremely popular and a very strong selling car and I almost want to take one more step further and say, don’t be fooled by the sales numbers coming down. That’s more supply constraint than a demand issue.

“We have a very, very strong order bank for ASX. We just can’t meet the demand,” the Mitsubishi Australia boss told carsales.

“We lost the number one place because competitors that may be more cheap and cheerful than us have more supply than us,” he said, in an apparent swipe at the current small SUV sales king, the MG ZS.

“It’s not an indication of ASX and where it’s at in terms of customer demand,” he said of the slowing sales.

Westcott refused to be drawn on what form the next-generation Mitsubishi ASX will take in Australia, instead stating: “Yes we will continue to study various platforms, various configurations, various cars.”

Mitsubishi Motors will reportedly invest a whopping $US665 in Indonesia over the next three years to build a new EV factory and upgrade its existing manufacturing facilities, which could see Indonesian-built vehicles arrive here in the future – possibly including a successor to the ASX.

“ASX is a very important product for us and we will continue to monitor sales and demand and what options are available to us,” said Westcott.

Another possible scenario is for the current ASX to soldier on until the Mitsubishi develops an all-new small electric SUV, which may be several years away from production. But Westcott said there were numerous options available to the brand to fill any holes in its portfolio.

“We’ve got 35 EVs coming to market by 2030. It’s almost like filing a cabinet with drawers, where you can go ‘I need one of those’ you pull it out and there it is. Those options are available to us for not only ASX but any product out there,” he said.

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