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The brand new Renault-based 2026 Mitsubishi ASX could not have been the Japanese model’s first alternative, however making certain there was an acceptable alternative for the 15-year-old however nonetheless in style small SUV was key in a market full of uncertainty.
Talking to CarExpert on the launch of the brand new ASX – which relies on the Renault Captur – executives from Mitsubishi Australia all however confirmed the car is a stopgap earlier than a “true alternative” could be developed.
With the earlier ASX having been on sale since August 2010, we requested Mitsubishi Australia’s Common Supervisor of Product Technique, Bruce Hampel, why a alternative mannequin wasn’t in improvement sooner – or if there was maybe a stillborn venture which has by no means seen the sunshine of day.
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“I can’t actually communicate [to it] – however you’re on the cash,” Mr Hampel instructed CarExpert.
“By way of like, yeah, [the new ASX] was filling a have to have an providing on this area till we are able to develop in all probability the true alternative of ASX.”
However whereas the all-new ASX has solely simply been launched in Australia, the Renault Captur on which it’s primarily based is already midway via its anticipated mannequin life – having first gone on sale in Europe in 2019.
“We would have liked a product within the small SUV area and we wanted one which met the necessities that the European ASX… that Europe had already engineered [to our standards] was the logical alternative for us, simply to verify we had a constant move, or presence, within the small SUV area,” Mr Hampel defined.
ABOVE: The previous-generation Mitsubishi ASX.
“The place we need to be with that area three to 5 years from the long run I suppose continues to be underneath debate.
“However you’re appropriate when it comes to your timeframes, proper? We’re in these discussions now. What’s the long term view going to be in our small SUV area?” Mr Hampel mentioned.
A part of the problem, Mr Hampel added, is that Australia is a “very dynamic market in the meanwhile,” with the model having to attempt to anticipate future laws from the federal authorities.
Following modifications to the Australian Design Guidelines, Mitsubishi’s mannequin lineup has been lowered considerably, with the automaker to solely have the Triton ute, Outlander mid-size SUV, and the brand new ASX inside its portfolio – as soon as present inventory of its bigger Eclipse Cross small SUV and Pajero Sport off-road SUV are offered out.
“I feel from our perspective, on the finish of the final [life] cycle of this product, no matter which may be, we goal to have one other product prepared to interchange it,” Tim Clarke, Senior Product and Program Supervisor instructed CarExpert.
“We don’t need to have blackout intervals or gaps and we’re speaking to our mum or dad firm about what that alternative – effectively, the successor product – will probably be.
“Like Bruce mentioned, there’s lots of volatility out there in the meanwhile. Electrification, additionally round ANCAP – like, is [a five-star safety rating] going to be the requirement into the long run, as effectively?
“We’re having to make assumptions and enter that into the enterprise circumstances now, as to what that product will find yourself being,” Mr Clarke mentioned.
Whereas it seems the new-generation ASX might solely be on sale in Australia for lower than 5 years, the automaker says it has but to substantiate its product plans.
Final month, information of the sudden resignation of Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott got here to gentle simply days earlier than VFACTS information confirmed the corporate slipped down the nationwide gross sales charts.
Learn our first evaluation of the brand new Mitsubishi ASX right here.
MORE: Discover the Mitsubishi ASX showroom
