Do not wait! Why you should buy a 2022 Mitsubishi ASX now before it's too late because everything is about to change, from Holden VF to ZB Commodore

The current ASX will be replaced by a new model teased to be based on the Ranult Captur.

Mitsubishi Motors will introduce an all-new ASX sometime this year, but it will be nothing less than a version that has become one of the most successful automotive stories of the last decade.

This already raises some doubts as to whether the newcomer will be able to replicate the sales figures of its predecessor, and even the feasibility of importing it to Australia, given the scale of changes that the model is undergoing.

As reported in late January during the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance's announcement of its intention to bring 35 new electric vehicles to market by 2023, the long-awaited replacement for the 12-year-old small SUV will be based on one of the "Renault vehicles". bestsellers".

All bets point to this being the Renault Captur II that landed last year, but the implications of this are raising more questions than answers for Australian consumers.

As with the closely related but UK-built Nissan Juke II that was launched locally in 2020, as well as the recently launched Renault Arkana from South Korea, this means the 2023 ASX is set to move to CMF-B (for a family of common modules). - B-segment cars) the modular platform of the French manufacturer, not Mitsubishi.

It changes everything from packaging. Will it be big enough?

The current ASX is based on the GS platform, which first saw the light of day in 2005 and underpins many C- and D-segment models from various manufacturers, with the most suitable for Australians being the now defunct Mitsubishi Lancer subcompact car, two generations. the Outlander midsize SUV (until the latest model arrives in late 2021) and today's Eclipse Cross.

So what are you saying? Well, the length/width/height/wheelbase measurements of the MY22 ASX are 4365/1810/1640/2670mm, while the latest Captur II equivalents are 4227/1797/1567/2639mm. Or, in other words, the future ASX could be significantly smaller in all dimensions and thus reduce the size of the segment, from SUV C to Class B SUV.

The implication of this is that while we can't say for sure just yet, the next-gen version could end up being significantly less spacious inside. Consider switching from a Mazda CX-30 to a CX-3…or a Holden VF Commodore to a ZB Commodore. This will have major implications for people who are looking for a family SUV. The fact that Australians are buying the ASX because it offers one of the biggest interiors for the money can't be underestimated. This has been a key unique selling proposition against key opponents for years and the next ASX could lose.

Then there is the issue of pricing and exchange rate issues. Will it still offer attractive value for money?

The ASX will most likely have to be imported from Europe (probably Spain, as the Captur II comes from Renault's Valladolid plant) and not from Japan like today's version, so it's best to forget the floor price that was the cornerstone. the existing success of ASX in recent years. Today's ASX starts at $24,490 (all prices exclude travel) and the Captur starts at $28,190.

Why is Mitsubishi currently so relatively inexpensive? Considering it was introduced in Japan as the third generation RVR in December 2009, the current ASX has had years to recoup its initial investment, making it very cheap to manufacture and sell.

Of course, ASX's next relationship with Renault Arkana, also based on the CMF-B, could lead to less expensive South Korean sources - courtesy of Renault Samsung Motors, which also supplies us with the famous Nissan X-Trail-derived Renault Koleos. to serve non-European markets such as Australia and North America (where the ASX is sold as the Outlander Sport). But this is pure speculation, with no confirmation from the Alliance.

However, no matter where it was imported from, part of the expected extra cost comes from ASX improving technology and excellence, introducing a more modern safety system and updated, improved gasoline powertrains. Mitsubishi doesn't say, but an 84-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with around 180kW/1.0Nm or a 118-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 270kW/1.3Nm (shared with Mercedes-Benz) are very promising, along with various electrification options. further down the road.

Along with the demand for better quality and higher octane fuel, these turbocharged powertrains use efficient, albeit complex, dual clutch transmissions, making them a far cry from the simple and proven 110kW/197 2.0L and optional 123L engines. power 222 kW / 2.4 Nm. supercharged units offered today, transmitting torque to the front wheels through a five-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT). In addition to driving and feeling very different from today's ASX, rising maintenance and upkeep costs could also affect buyers' wallets.

Ultimately, for all the advances that come with it, reworking the much more modern Renault (or Nissan) ends up undermining the Mitsubishi-ness of the ASX.

In addition to being associated with brand pillars like the Lancer, the current model adheres to the company's decades-long policy of retaining reliable, reputable and durable vehicles that have proven to endure over time, even if they end up becoming obsolete. This happened to the Australian Sigma and Colt in the 1980s and the Lancer and Magna in the 2000s. Here's how cash-strapped organizations survive by garnering legions of loyal Australian consumers.

Perhaps the best thing Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) can do is change its name to meet consumer expectations. In hindsight, it might have been wiser for Holden to do the same when he stuck a completely inappropriate Commodore badge on an imported 2018 Opel Insignia that replaced the locally made badge.

Of course, the ASX's next launch is still at least two years away, during which time Australians may have grown weary of its age-related disadvantages compared to much newer alternatives.

Finally, there is the Eclipse Cross factor.

MMAL may decide to focus on this latest vestige of pre-Alliance development, offering lower prices and minor upgrades to boost the appeal of this 2017 vintage small crossover SUV to Australians.

And why not? After all, using the same GS platform with an identical 2670mm wheelbase, the Eclipse Cross was originally created as a replacement for the ASX back in the middle of the last decade, before the latter's unexpected surge in worldwide popularity, combined with the company's growing financial problems, led to a decision . run old and new at the same time.

With less than half of the 14,764 sales accumulated by the much older ASX last year, the Eclipse Cross 6132 registrations represent a 36 percent increase over 2020, helped by a much-needed facelift this year.

Whatever MMAL decides, and despite being far behind the best in its segment, the ASX is now considered a trailblazer, being one of the first small SUVs on the market when it arrived in mid-2010 and was introduced as an alternative to conventional small SUVs. . automotive hatchbacks such as the Toyota Corolla. At the time, the larger Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Forester were classified as "compact SUVs," and only unusual models like the Suzuki SX4 offered anything truly urban.

Of course, since then, the number of copycats ranging from the Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3 to the Hyundai Kona and MG ZS has increased, but with regular improvements and updates, the ASX has risen from bestseller to segment champion in the 2020s. .

Is there any hope that a replacement based on the Renault Captur can achieve the same success?