Mitsubishi’s long-teased new-generation ASX small SUV will finally hit the market in 2023, but its arrival in Australian showrooms remains unclear.
Revealed during the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s announcement to bring 35 new electric vehicles to market by 2023, the new ASX was shown in a brief, shadowy teaser.
What is currently known is that the next-generation ASX will be “based on Renault best-sellers” and has been confirmed for Europe alongside another new, yet-to-be-disclosed model.
This means the 2023 ASX will likely share its architecture with the similarly-sized Renault Captur, and could be offered with some form of electrification like a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
This ties into the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s plan to further share platforms and architecture moving forward.
Common platforms currently make up around 60 per cent of the Alliance’s combined 90-model line-up, and the goal is to up that to 80 per cent in 2026.
“This will allow each company to deepen their focus on their customer’s needs, their best models and core markets, while also extending innovations across the Alliance, at a lower cost,” an Alliance statement said.
Like with Nissan’s all-electric Micra successor that was also teased at the same event, the new ASX will be produced by Renault.
The current, third-generation ASX has been on sale in Australia since 2010 – its first year of production – and was, in 2021, one of the brand’s most popular models finding 14,764 new homes.
This was enough to secure it second place in the small SUV sales charts behind the MG ZS (18,423).
So, why has it taken Mitsubishi so long to refresh the ASX?
Back in 2018 at the international launch of the facelifted Triton ute, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s then vice-president of product strategy Vincent Cobee told media that the new-generation ASX was “not far” from being shown.
However, a new model never surfaced, and it would appear that there was a major shakeup in the new-gen ASX’s development plan.
When asked if the new ASX would be a rebadged Nissan or Renault model, similar to the reborn Express van, Mr Cobee refuted the query.
“We should be very clear on what is an opportunity and what is a core model,” he said.
“Providing a mid-sized van to the Australian market is an opportunity our distributors and dealers have been asking for many, many years because it fits the offering of Triton.
“We found a way to make it (work) with Renault and we are doing it, (but) when you talk about ASX, when you talk about Triton, when you talk about Outlander, you’re talking about the core.
“So, with the core, we take control of the development, we share assets, but we don’t share cars.”
Mitsubishi’s plans have clearly changed since then however, and Mr Cobee left the Alliance in early 2020 to take the top job at Citroen.
However, it remains to be seen how distinct the new ASX will be from its Renault cousin. Expect a full reveal later this year.
Keyword: 2023 Mitsubishi ASX confirmed! Ageing Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30 rival to be renewed after more than 10 years on the market