TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Mitsubishi teases new plug-in small SUV concept

Mitsubishi has provided a glimpse of what it plans to reveal at the 2019 Tokyo motor show next month and it could be our first look at the long-awaited replacement for Australia's top-selling small SUV, the Mitsubishi ASX.

In a teaser picture posted overnight, the concept looks more like a new fastback hard-top option for a next-gen Triton mounted with four speakers (or fans), but is actually claimed to preview a new plug-in hybrid-powered small SUV.

The electrified powertrain is said to have been combined with the car-maker's new electric four-wheel drive system, hinting that Mitsubishi will unveil a concept for a range-extender in which the internal combustion engine has no physical connection to the driven wheels.

If so, the compact SUV has the potential to spin off a full pure-electric version.

Look closer at the teaser image and a narrow window panel suggests the car's small petrol or diesel engine will be mounted mid-ship in the rear of the car.

You also see the boxy little SUV will feature carbon-fibre, hinting it will employ plenty of weight-saving materials to boost efficiency, at least in concept form.

Thanks to the Japanese car-maker's new take on its all-wheel drive know-how, the concept is said to deliver "unparalleled driving pleasure and confidence over all terrain", allowing drivers of "all abilities to confidently push further over the unmade or rough road surfaces when engaging in outdoor activities".

It's not known if the new plug-in hybrid powertrain developed for the concept has been created exclusively for Mitsubishi or could be shared as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, but the unnamed SUV concept is tipped to inspire the next-generation ASX, which is well overdue.

While the long-serving current model will receive yet another facelift and a bigger 2.4-litre engine as part of next month's MY20 upgrade, the all-new Mitsubishi ASX will be smaller, front-wheel drive only, based on a new Alliance platform and priced from under $20,000, positioning it further below the Eclipse Cross and effectively making it a replacement for the discontinued Lancer.

Stay tuned, because Mitsubishi is expected to continue to tease what's shaping up to be a bizarre SUV concept in the weeks leading up to its reveal in Tokyo on October 23.