Mitsubishi has acknowledged its new ASX small SUV – a Renault in disguise – will not be as affordable as its predecessor, but thinks it will be worth the extra outlay.
The new Mitsubishi ASX – a rebranded version of the Renault Captur city SUV – will not be as affordable as its decade-old predecessor when it arrives in Australia between October and December this year, the company has admitted.
It remains to see if Mitsubishi can keep the ASX below $35,000 drive-away, given the cheapest version of the Captur was last on sale for that amount or more.
Even then, it would still represent a step up over the $28,490 drive-away price of today's most affordable Mitsubishi ASX automatic, which is one of the cheapest new SUVs on sale.
Built in Europe – so it will incur an import tariff not faced by today's Japanese-built version – the new ASX is expected to offer turbocharged power and a longer list of features that would push up its price.
Government documents seen by Drive show the new ASX will drop the current GS and ES base models, and open with the LS model grade, which in today's range is listed for $32,490 drive-away.
"If you look at the product, the quantity of the finish, and the premiumness of that product, inevitably it's going to be more expensive," Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO Shaun Westcott told Drive.
"But it's still going to be good value for money for what you're going to get.
"What we are not playing in ... [is] cheap. When in the past people used to talk about Mitsubishi as a value for money brand, that was done in the negative sense that we were cheap; cheap and cheerful.
"We are still a value-for-money brand. We will still be a volume brand, but with a more premium product, and this product is a more premium product in every sense. And yes, it will inevitably cost more."
He said prices and engine details are yet to be finalised, but in Europe there is a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, and the option of mild-hybrid technology.
'Full hybrid' and plug-in hybrid versions are also available overseas, using a 1.6-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine.
The global boss of Mitsubishi has previously admitted the new ASX – a Renault Captur with a different grille and badges – is a car "people know that is ... not a real Mitsubishi," and that he is "not very sure if it will be very well accepted by the Australian market."
The ASX was the most obvious choice for a new Mitsubishi small SUV in Australia after the XForce sold in Asia was deemed too costly to upgrade to meet Australian regulations.
Meanwhile, the outgoing ASX is unable to meet the latest Australian safety rules.
Still, Westcott told Drive the Captur-derived ASX was chosen for local showrooms because "it is sophisticated, it's modern, it's stylish, and it meets ... the new, more premium positioning of Mitsubishi as a brand."
"Based on where the Australian market is, based on the current NVES [inbound car emissions rules], current consumer appetite for product, what they want and looking for in that product, we felt that that was the more appropriate technology to bring to the market at this point in time," he said.
The new ASX's expected price may present a shock for customers upgrading from the outgoing model, which has limboed as low as $25,000 drive-away in recent years.
"I think the Outlander proved that," Westcott told Drive, when asked if ASX customers would be ready for the new model's higher price.
"The previous generation of Outlander, there was a significant change and a significant step up between the old Outlander and the new one. The results speak for themselves, it's a Top Four, Top Five selling car.
"So if you bring the right product with the right attributes that the customer needs, wants and is happy to pay for, yes they will.
"And I think people are seeing that, and both the new Triton with enhanced technology, better sophistication and a feel more premium to it, as well as the Outlander, demonstrate that people are prepared to understand the journey that Mitsubishi is on."
He refuted suggestions the current model is still popular – ASX deliveries were up 34 per cent last year – because it is cheap.
"It was a good, reliable, spacious, stylish car, and it wasn't just being sold on price. There's also the value of the brand, there's the Japanese craftsmanship that goes into that, the reliability that goes with the vehicle.
"... We are convinced and adamant that it wasn't just being sold on price. It was a very good value for money proposition, but there was more to it than just price."
Westcott was coy on predicting how well the new model – at its expected higher price – would sell.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
