Mitsubishi Motors will unveil an all-new ASX sometime this year, but it will be nothing like the version that has become one of the biggest success motoring stories over the past decade.
This is already casting some doubt as to whether the newcomer can replicate its predecessor’s sales performance, and even over the viability of importing it to Australia given the extent of change the model is undergoing.
As reported in late January during the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s announcement stating its intention to introduce 35 new electric vehicles to market by 2023, the long-awaited replacement for the 12-year-old small SUV will be derived from one of “Renault’s bestsellers”.
All bets point to that being the Renault Captur II that landed last year, but the implications of this raises far more questions – and eyebrows – than answers for Australian consumers.
As with the closely-related but British-built Nissan Juke II that launched locally in 2020 as well as the recently released Renault Arkana from South Korea, this means that the 2023 ASX is set to switch to the CMF-B (for Common Module Family – B-segment vehicles) modular platform by the French manufacturer rather than Mitsubishi.
This changes everything, beginning with packaging. Will it be big enough?
The current ASX is based on the GS platform that first saw the light of day in 2005, underpinning scores of C- and D-segment models from various manufacturers, with the most pertinently for Australians being Mitsubishi’s now-defunct Lancer small car, two generations of the Outlander mid-sized SUV (until the latest model arrived in late 2021) and today’s Eclipse Cross.
So what, you say? Well, the MY22 ASX’s length/width/height/wheelbase measurements are 4365/1810/1640/2670mm, while the latest Captur II’s equivalents come in at 4227/1797/1567/2639mm. Or, in other words, the future ASX could be substantially smaller in every dimension, and thus will shrink a segment size down, from the C SUV to the B SUV class.
The consequence of this is that, while we can’t say for sure as yet, the next-gen version may end up being significantly less spacious inside. Think going from a Mazda CX-30 to a CX-3… or Holden VF Commodore to ZB Commodore. This would have major ramifications for people seeking a family-friendly SUV. The fact that Australians buy the ASX because it offers one of the bigger interiors for the money cannot be underestimated. This has been a key unique selling proposition against key opponents for years, and one that the next ASX is on track to lose.
Then there’s the question of pricing and exchange rate issues. Will it still represent compelling value for money?
The ASX will most likely have to be imported from Europe (probably Spain, since the Captur II is sourced from Renault’s Valladolid facility) rather than from Japan like today’s version, so it’s best to forget about the rock-bottom pricing that has been the lynchpin of the existing ASX’s success in recent years. Today’s ASX kicks off from $24,490 (all prices are before on-road costs), while the Captur starts at $28,190.
Why is the Mitsubishi currently so comparatively inexpensive? Considering it was globally unveiled in Japan as the third-generation RVR in December, 2009, the current ASX has had years to amortise its initial investment, making it now very cheap to produce and market.
Of course, the next ASX’s relationship with the also-CMF-B-based Renault Arkana could lead to less-expensive South Korean sourcing – courtesy of Renault Samsung Motors, which also supplies us with the established Nissan X-Trail-derived Renault Koleos – to serve non-European markets like Australia and North America (where the ASX is sold as the Outlander Sport). But this is pure speculation, with no confirmation from the Alliance.
However, regardless of where it’s imported from, part of the anticipated extra expense is down to the ASX stepping up in technology and sophistication, adopting more modern safety and updated, advanced petrol powertrains. Mitsubishi isn’t saying, but the Alliance’s circa-84kW/180Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo or 118kW/270Nm 1.3-litre four-pot turbo engine (shared with Mercedes-Benz) are very strong possibilities, along with various electrification options further down the track.
Along with requiring better-quality and higher-octane fuel, these turbo powertrains use efficient, if complicated, dual-clutch transmissions, making them a far cry from simple and proven 110kW/197 2.0-litre and optional 123kW/222Nm 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated units offered today, sending torque to the front wheels via either a five-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT). Besides driving and feeling very differently compared to today’s ASX, rising servicing and upkeep costs may also impact buyers’ wallets.
Ultimately, for all the advancements that come with it, rebodying a much-more modern Renault (or Nissan) ultimately undermines the Mitsubishi-ness of the ASX.
Besides connecting with brand pillars like the Lancer, the current model adheres to decades-long company policy of persisting with reliable, reputable and durable vehicles that proved their mettle over time, even if they ended up being outdated as a consequence. It happened with the Australian-made Sigma and Colt in the 1980s and Lancer and Magna in the 2000s. That’s how cash-strapped organisations survive, garnering legions of loyal Australian consumers along the way.
Maybe the best thing that Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) could do is change the name as to manage consumer expectations. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Holden would have been wiser to do the same when it stuck on the wholly-unsuitable ‘Commodore’ badge on the imported 2018 Opel Insignia that replaced the locally-made icon.
Of course, the next ASX is still at least two years away from any local launch activity that might be being planned, and in that time, maybe Australians might tire of its age-related deficiencies against far-newer alternatives.
Finally, there’s the Eclipse Cross factor.
MMAL may choose to concentrate on this last vestige of pre-Alliance engineering, with sharper pricing and minor updates to help boost this 2017-vintage small SUV crossover’s appeal to Australians.
And why not? After all, using the same GS platform down to an identical 2670mm wheelbase, the Eclipse Cross was originally created as the ASX’s replacement back in the middle of last decade, before the latter’s unexpected popularity surge worldwide coupled with mounting company financial woes led to the decision to run old and new concurrently.
While managing fewer than half of the 14,764 sales accumulated by the far-older ASX last year, the Eclipse Cross’ 6132 registration-tally represents a 36 per cent rise over 2020, aided by that year’s much-needed facelift.
Whatever MMAL decides, and despite falling far behind the best in its segment, the ASX is now regarded as a pioneer, being one of the first small SUVs on the market when it arrived in mid-2010 to be pitched as an alternative to regular small car hatchbacks like the Toyota Corolla. Back then, the larger Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester were classed as ‘compact SUVs’, with only oddball models like the Suzuki SX4 offering something truly urban-sized.
Of course, since then, copycats ranging from the Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3 to the Hyundai Kona and MG ZS have proliferated, but with regular improvements and updates, the ASX rose from a sales outlier to segment champion heading into the 2020s.
Is there even hope that the Renault Captur-based replacement can achieve the same degree of success?
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