Renault Captur? Almost, it's the new 2023 Mitsubishi ASX, but Australian plans are absent

The enduringly popular Mitsubishi ASX small SUV has lasted for more than a decade on its first generation, but now there’s a new one.

Revealed in Europe overnight, the second-generation Mitsubishi ASX will look very familiar to some, as it’s essentially a rebadged Renault Captur.

Curiously, the ASX is currently billed as being built in Spain alongside the Captur, but only for the European market. It seems an odd move for two reasons, the first being the Australian Captur is also built in Spain, but in right-hand drive.

The second is that the ASX is, after more than a decade as essentially the same car, still Mitsubishi’s third-most popular car behind the Triton ute and the recently refreshed Outlander. The ASX has racked up around 8000 sales in 2022 so far alone.

The Captur, however, hasn’t been as successful, approaching 1000 sales and making up less than a sixth of Renault’s 6435 sales this year so far behind the likes of the Arkana and Koleos.

Set to launch in Europe from March 2023, the Captur-based ASX will be offered as a plug-in hybrid model with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 10.5kWh battery to top the line-up, while a standard (no plug) hybrid model with the same engine and a smaller 1.3kWh battery is also available.

A ‘mild-hybrid’ model will also be available with a 1.3-litre turbocharged engine, which can also be had with a six-speed manual gearbox instead of the seven-speed dual-clutch.

An entry model offered exclusively with a manual gearbox and a 1.0-litre turbo engine is also available.

Built on the CMF-B platform (also shared with the Renault Clio hatchback), the European-market ASX will inside feature an interior heavily drawn from Renault.

In Australia, there are no plans to discontinue the current local-market ASX, and Mitsubishi Australia might even look at the Captur’s local performance and decide against the new ASX.

Speaking to CarsGuide recently, Mitsubishi Australia boss Shaun Westcott said the company is aware that what works for some other markets might not resonate with Australians.

“Our primary goal at Mitsubishi Australia is to develop and bring to market vehicles that are relevant and appropriate, but still have that distinctiveness about them that make them uniquely Mitsubishi that appeals to our target market,” he said.

“Quite frankly, what appeals to a Renault buyer and what appeals to a Nissan buyer might be completely different.”

This could even mean other new international Mitsubishis are left off our local plate. For example, the Mitsubishi Mirage hatch was recently killed off in the Australian market.

CarsGuide has contacted Mitsubishi Australia for comment on the chances of the new ASX arriving in local showrooms.