Mitsubishi ASX VR-e retuned for rough Aussie roads
Foxtron engineers were dragged to an Aussie proving ground to learn what ‘Mitsubishi-ness’ means on a goat trackThe News
Mitsubishi Australia has given its new Foxtron-built ASX VR-e electric SUV a local chassis tune, with revised damping, bump stops and steering calibration designed to make the Taiwanese-built EV ‘Australia ready’.
The Key Details
- Foxtron engineers benchmarked new EV at Aussie proving ground
- Local shock absorber, bump stop and electric steering tune
- Focus around on-centre steering feel and ride on rough B-roads
- Driver assist software still being refined before launch
- Sport mode adds a rear-biased torque split to the GSR
The Finer Details
Mitsubishi has form when it comes to finessing its Aussie-delivered vehicles. Its engineers recently retuned the Outlander and Triton in response to feedback, and the new ASX VR-e electric hatchback crossover has had the same treatment before it’s even landed.
“I guess the overarching goal was to make it Australia ready,” Mitsubishi Motors Australia product strategy manager Tim Clarke said.
“To make it feel like it was a car that you can drive on any road in Australia and not be uncomfortable or annoyed with how it behaves on the road.”
Clarke explained the changes included damper tuning, bump stops and the electric power steering calibration.
Foxtron engineers were brought from Taiwan to the Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria for joint benchmarking with Mitsubishi, giving them first-hand exposure to local road conditions and specific chassis tuning opportunities.
“Steering feel requirements in Australia are quite different in that we have long straight roads that are quite undulating and rough,” Clarke said.
“As soon as you get off the major highways, you’re going to be exposed to roads that are rough and pockmarked.”
That, he said, is what Mitsubishi calls ‘Mitsubishi-ness’.
“It might be different from competitor products in the way it behaves, but that’s what we want,” he added.
Clarke praised Foxtron’s nimbleness, describing the Foxconn-backed company as “very tech-based, very agile, very continuous improvement”, which allowed it to implement changes quickly.
Not everything is finished, however. The ASX VR-e’s advanced driver assist systems are still being honed via software.
“The early software was the starting point, and we’re continuously improving that to get to where we would like it to be for mass consumption [in Australia],” Clarke said.
The local tuning effort makes sense, given how important Mitsubishi’s retuned models are to its bottom line. September 2026 VFACTS data shows the Triton (4x2 and 4x4 combined) on 14,033 sales year-to-date, while the Outlander sits on 14,584 (-13.3%).
Overall, Mitsubishi is down 30.2% to 33,245 compared to the same time last year.
Pricing for the ASX VR-e is due in the coming weeks. It will step into a segment where the Kia EV3 starts at $47,600, and there is also a GSR-rivalling GT-Line version of the Kia EV. The Hyundai Kona Electric starts at $46,000 before on-road costs and both these Korean brands also sometimes lean on local suspension tuning.
The Road Ahead
Media will get behind the wheel of production cars at the first drive later in 2026, ahead of the ASX VR-e going on sale by the end of the year.
Whether ‘Australia ready’ also means a better-behaved set of driver aids remains to be seen but with a stylish new EV on the way along with the all-new Pajero 4WD SUV, the brand will be hitting the ground running in 2027.
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