New regulations are about to blast a big hole in Mitsubishi’s Australian line-up.
The popular brand has announced the Pajero Sport four-wheel drive and Eclipse Cross compact SUV will be deleted from its range this year.
Changes to Australian Design Rules (ADR) from March 1 this year meant the vehicles needed expensive upgrades to its auto emergency braking technology.
Mitsubishi Australia boss, Shaun Westcott, said the investment in re-engineering the vehicles to comply with the new ADR was not viable considering the advanced age of the vehicles.
A similar issue has caused the retirement of the current ASX small SUV.
Mitsubishi Australia has announced a replacement for the ASX is due this year, in the form of the Renault Captur-based European ASX, but there are no imminent replacements for the other two models.
Westcott said production of all those vehicles had already ended and the company had ordered significant stock ahead of time to make vehicles available to customers throughout 2025.
All three models experienced significant growth in 2024: ASX sales were up more than 34 per cent to 12,330, Eclipse Cross sales were up about 18 per cent to 9221 and Pajero Sport had a stellar year with 7306 sales up more than 31 per cent on the previous year.
The three models accounted for more than a third of the company’s sales in 2024, which will make it a challenging year for Mitsubishi in 2025.
The new ASX is unlikely to be the same price leader as the current version, with the new model imported from Europe and fitted with improved safety and in-car tech, heavily reworked design and hybrid power. Progress comes at a cost.
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Westcott said the company would eventually fill the void left by the two models as shown in its 'Momentum 2030' plan.
“We have a lot of good product coming, there are a number of significant new models and products in that plan. So we are actually quite excited about the next couple of years.”
This was echoed by Mitsubishi Australia's GM of product strategy and PR, Bruce Hampel.
"These nameplates will be replaced by equivalent — if you want to call it that — vehicles in the coming years," said Hampel.
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"We will continue in those medium, large SUV spaces going forward. It's really the core business here in Australia along with other electrified vehicles in the small, medium SUV spaces."
This vehicle won't necessarily be called the Eclipse Cross or Pajero Sport, with the names still up for debate.
Westcott said Mitsubishi’s intention was to provide people with vehicles that will help them explore Australia.
“The future is very much focused towards off road adventure, four-wheel drive, SUV, large SUV in the portfolio. We’d like to see all of them.”
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“So in that 2030 plan you’ll see the outline or the silhouette of a large SUV. And I know there have been some spy photos, some of you guys have picked them up, of the Pajero Sport replacements running around in mule form.
“We are doing a lot of work on a lot of platforms and a lot of models, so that 2030 Momentum plan includes a number of new products that you’ve seen the silhouette of that we are working on. There’s a lot happening at the moment,” he said.
Westcott said electrification for those vehicles was “absolutely” in the brand’s future.
The company’s global CEO has previously announced some form of electrification, which includes mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full battery electric, in 50 per cent of all models by 2030 and all of its vehicles by 2035.