Mitsubishi ASX News

The new-generation Toyota HiLux is among five models that have just learned their safety fate.

Just weeks after Mitsubishi Australia confirmed the second generation of its ASX will arrive in showrooms before the end of the year, there’s been a plot twist for the model overseas.

The new-generation Mitsubishi ASX is expected to come to market with a four-star ANCAP rating.However, the company’s local executives don’t think this will impact the target buyers of the new Renault Captur-based model.The European-market ASX received a four-star rating from Euro NCAP, matching its donor car’s rating.Mitsubishi is expected to have the vehicle assessed by ANCAP but is anticipating the same four-star rating.With most large fleet buyers mandating five stars for their fleets, it means the new ASX won’t attract that business.But the company is targeting private buyers with the new ASX so it’s not concerned about lost sales, according to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited Product Strategy Manager for SUV/Electrification, Tim Clarke.“Not such a big deal in private buyer space. Like we said, the key attributes that they want are the items we went through in the presentation. So having the technology is one, but having five star rating didn't show up in our research for a private buyer.”The previous ASX, which was on sale from 2010 and discontinued earlier this year, was awarded a five-star rating back in 2014. That rating expired in 2022.Clarke said because it hasn’t had a rating in three years, fleet buyers have not been the target for ASX for a while now.The ASX has gone up in price considerably with the new-gen model and now starts from $37,740 before on-road costs, which is more than the price of the previous-generation’s flagship grade.While the previous ASX was at various points the best-selling small SUV in the country, the company acknowledges that the new model is unlikely to hit those sales highs.Mitsubishi’s GM Product Strategy & Product PR, Bruce Hampel, said while many in the industry recognise that four stars is still a safe car, communicating that to buyers can be challenging.“I guess this is our first foray into four star right? So I guess a few other OEMs are going through the same journey as it becomes more and more, I guess, costly to deliver five star, it really questions the value that it's offering to the customers, and whether a four-star vehicle, which, as you indicated, is an extremely safe vehicle.“A four star on today's protocol is safer than a five star in the last protocol, as you know. But trying to educate the general consumer that that's the case is challenging. Whether it really influences their purchase decision or not I guess is a debate.”Hampel highlighted customer feedback about the intrusive nature of some advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and what Mitsubishi is doing to help that.“What we are seeing a lot of rhetoric now, though, is looking at all the safety features that are available to the customer, and a lot of them are reacting in terms of, this is overly complicated, and we want to be able to just turn things off simply.“We're trying to work on ways to allow customers to customise their use of the ADAS features as well.”Interestingly, the new ASX does not come with a driver monitoring system. Mitsubishi has been criticised for this system in the Triton ute as it’s overly sensitive and, ironically, distracting. The brand issued an update to address the issues earlier this year but the system still intervenes at odd times.“Those type of ANCAP mandated features, I guess, are not being well received at the moment, in the market, and there's lots of pushback to ANCAP to try and moderate… their expectations going forwards.”The ASX won’t be the only four-star ANCAP-rated small SUV in Australia when it hits showrooms. The Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, and hybrid versions of the new MG ZS all have the same rating.While the HR-V is not a massive seller, the ZS is currently the best-selling small SUV in Australia and the Kona is second on that list.

Mitsubishi says it's not concerned that it doesn’t have a hybrid option for its new-generation ASX small SUV from launch.After 15 years on sale, Mitsubishi has just replaced the ageing runabout with a new-gen model that is twinned with alliance partner Renault’s Captur.From launch all three grades are powered by the same 113kW/270Nm 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, without any hybrid assistance.In Europe the new ASX is offered with a mild hybrid and full hybrid powertrain options, as well as the petrol engine.However, Mitsubishi Motors Australia Product Strategy Manager for SUV/Electrification Tim Clarke said hybrid ASX grades are being considered, but they’re not locked in.“So not currently in our product plan. We're looking for a business case to make that a positive,” he said at the recent ASX launch.“At the moment, we've launched a product into the biggest wedge of this mainstream, small SUV . So we'll work with that and continue to improve the product throughout its life cycle.”Data provided by Mitsubishi shows that around 80 per cent of total small SUV sales (sub-$45k segment) last year were for pure petrol models. Hybrids made up just 16 per cent, although that is growing.Other similarly sized small SUVs with hybrid powertrain options include the GWM Haval Jolion, MG ZS, Nissan Qashqai, Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and Chery Tiggo 4.The new-gen ASX consumes 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres of 91 RON petrol on the combined cycle. The full hybrid in Europe brings that figure down to between 4.7 and 4.9L, a big fuel saving.Hampel said stock of the outgoing ASX had all but dried up but added there may be some dealer stock left across the country.He added that the new ASX has not undergone an Australian tuning program to tailor it to local road conditions.“The vehicle was developed in conjunction with Mitsubishi Motors of Europe (MME). So it was predominantly done and designed between MME and Renault Europe, tuned more for the European conditions."When we evaluated the vehicle down here in Australia, we felt it was actually quite suitable for the Australian conditions as well, so we didn't request any changes.”

The long-awaited replacement for one of the most popular small SUVs in Australia is almost here, with pricing and features revealed for the 2026 Mitsubishi ASX.Mitsubishi has changed the positioning of its baby SUV and it’s now a much pricier proposition than the budget-friendly model it replaces. In turn it also comes with a significantly higher level of tech and safety than the outgoing model ever had.The new-generation ASX is not related to the model it replaces. The original ASX was based on Mitsubishi’s 'GS' platform that underpinned the likes of the last Lancer as well as the recently discontinued Eclipse Cross and more.It was sold in Australia from 2010 until earlier this year, with several facelifts and model year updates throughout its 15-year life.This new version is a rebadged and tweaked version of Alliance partner Renualt’s Captur small SUV, which is not currently sold in Australia. The pre-facelift second-gen Captur was sold in Australia but the refreshed version is yet to be confirmed for sale here.Mitsubishi is offering three grades of ASX and pricing is much higher than the first-gen ASX.Before it was discontinued, the base ASX GS was priced from $26,740, before on-road costs, for the automatic version.Second-gen ASX pricing starts at $37,740 for the entry grade LS, which is about $7K more than the equivalent outgoing LS. The range tops out with the Exceed at $46,490. See tables below for a breakdown of pricing and specification.That means the price of entry for an ASX has increased by more than $10,000. The ASX was known for its value, attracting buyers at the entry-level of the segment. Rivals included the previous-generation MG ZS and GWM Haval Jolion.This pricing puts it more in line with the likes of the Honda HR-V, Nissan Qashqai, Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross.Powering all ASX grades is a 113kW/270Nm 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission driving the front wheels only.According to Mitsubishi, the new ASX consumes 6.4 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle, which is 16 per cent more efficient than the old, unrelated 2.0L unit from the previous ASX.The ASX will be available in Mitsubishi dealerships from the fourth quarter of this year.• 10.4-inch multimedia screen• Instrument cluster with 7.0-inch display• 17-inch alloy wheels• Electrically adjustable, heated door mirrors• Centre console with armrest• Manual dimming rear-view mirror• Cloth seats • Height adjustable driver seat• Soft-touch steering wheel• Vanity mirrors for driver and front passenger• Cruise control with speed limiter• Eco drive mode• Rear parking sensors• Gloss black door mirrors• Climate control air conditioning• Paddle shift• Smart card• Electric parking brake with auto hold• Dusk sensing headlamps• Rain sensing wipers• Rear view camera• Embedded sat nav and Google built-in, featuring Google Assistant, Google Maps & Google Play• 10-inch digital instrument cluster • 18-inch alloy wheels• Privacy glass• Electric folding door mirrors• Ambient interior lighting• Auto dimming rear-view mirror• Height adjustable driver and passenger seat• Heated steering wheel• Illuminated vanity mirrors • Wireless charging• Instrument panel decoration – gloss black• Drive modes, including 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and ‘Perso’• Panoramic sunroof• Two-tone exterior paint• Frameless auto dimming rear-view mirror• Black leather seats • Heated front seats• Power driver seatThe new-gen ASX is yet to be crash tested by safety watchdog ANCAP.• Driver attention alert• Emergency lane assist• Forward collision mitigation• Lane departure prevention• Lane departure warning• Safe distance warning• Front, rear and side parking sensors• Lane keep assist• Adaptive cruise control• Traffic jam assist• 'Mi-Pilot' - semi-autonomous driving system• Blind spot warning• Rear cross-traffic alert• Safe exit assist The ASX is covered by Mitsubishi’s 10-year/200,000km warranty which is conditional on the owner servicing the car at a Mitsubishi dealership. It also comes with 10 years' capped-price servicing and up to four years of complimentary roadside assistance.

Here's everything we know about Mitsubishi's upcoming next-generation ASX.

Mitsubishi’s new ASX is headed to showrooms soon, but it's missing something important.

Mitsubishi warns it can't chase Chinese brands on price, and there are other factors buyers should consider.

Mitsubishi warns there's a big market correction coming, and automakers have to act to survive.

Mitsubishi's CEO, Shaun Westcott, explained the effect he thinks Australia’s tough new emissions laws will have on the new car market, and why Mitsubishi will continue to stick with its PHEV-heavy strategy.Westcott said there are still significant hurdles to overcome for electric cars despite the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) coming into effect.“Just penalising us is not going to deliver the outcomes we need. The original thinking was that if you penalised us, we’d bring more EVs to the market.”“There’s no shortage of choice, what we lack is positive initiatives. You can give us as many sticks as you like, we need some carrots.”“The bigger challenge with adoption is that we need to have a government which considers the peculiarities of the Australian market. We’re not Norway. We’re not a small country. We don’t have cities that are 40 kilometres apart.”He said even with advancements in battery technology, which may result in vehicles able to travel between Sydney and Melbourne on a single charge, having infrastructure sufficient for the cities was an ongoing issue.“As we sit here today, Adelaide has 52 public fast chargers. 52 for a city of one and a half million people!”Westcott added if Mitsubishi’s number crunching was reflective of the wider market, price hikes could be headed for most brands as they try to keep up with the regulations which have effectively moved Australia from the emissions environment of the 1980s to the strict nature of Euro 6 overnight.He said despite the abundance of options, even at lower price points, Australian consumers still preferred combustion engines overall, which will cause a problem for many manufacturers, and soon.“I think the reality we’re looking at today is a lot of brands have dialled back their EV ambitions because they’ve realised that just bringing the cars to the market, you can fill your showroom with EVs but if nobody buys them you’d have to discount those cars to a point where they will be below the cost of production and that’s happening already just to get people to take them," said Westcott.“OEMs realise that to stay alive you have to sell cars - if Australians aren’t buying the EVs then we have to bring combustion and all the other powertrains to market and that will continue to happen despite the penalties because if the demand isn’t there, you haven’t got a business. It’s simple economics.“Every brand has to cover the cost of those penalties to survive and if customers are only buying single digit (percentages) of EVs - everyone is going to be copping penalties,” he said.Westcott still backs PHEVs in the short term.“We believe this is the correct transition technology. Our customers use their car in pure EV mode 83 per cent of the time," said Westcott.“ our customers have reduced emissions by 83 per cent right here, right now, today, with zero investment in infrastructure.“And if I wanted to do a trip to Melbourne, or Sydney, or across the Nullabor to Perth. It doesn’t matter, the car can do it.”Westcott was also blunt about how he sees the choice to remove the fringe benefits tax exemption, which (along with the original EV exemption) caused a spike in interest for PHEV models, was a political error when it comes to emissions reduction.“Stopping the FBT exemption on PHEVs was a mistake - Look what it did! PHEV Outlander was 20 - 25 per cent of the mix, it worked. It comes back to the carrots and the sticks. If we had a few more carrots it works. Lets do it.”It’s worth noting Mitsubishi has everything to gain by such changes. It currently doesn’t field a fully electric vehicle, with plans to bring in the eK X electric city car shelved after a brief local evaluation program.Plus, some manufacturers with diverse offerings in their line-ups have spoken out in favour of the NVES, as models they currently import from Europe or China already comply with even more stringent regimes in their respective home markets.Chinese manufacturers, meanwhile, are squeezing Mitsubishi on its plug-in hybrid home turf with unprecedented price-tags attached to incoming versions of the Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 PHEV competing on price with combustion Outlanders and undercutting Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV by a significant margin.Mitsubishi isn’t alone though. Japanese manufacturers seem to be in particular trouble, as they struggle to adjust to a regulatory environment much more hostile to their historically popular nameplates. Subaru, Isuzu, Mazda, and to some extent, even Toyota will have work to do in the coming years if they want to avoid painful fines under the new laws.