Fears are clearing that the Mitsubishi brand will leave Europe, especially if they are manufactured on the continent again. We are talking about the Mitsubishi ASX. Specifically, it will be done at the Renault Group factory in Valladolid, together with the best-selling Renault Captur. They will start from the same platform, CMF-B, so it will be around 4.2 to 4.3 meters in length.
The Mitsubishi ASX SUV was one of the segment’s pioneers -given its size- and has exceeded a commercial life of 10 years, a milestone today. It has undergone numerous updates and more than 380,000 copies have been sold since 2010. The replacement will have more modern lines, although we cannot offer more images than the preview that is insight. It will be on the market from next year.
The Alliance thus takes advantage of its synergies, focusing on what works best and where it works best, avoiding duplication, etc. It makes more sense then for the ASX to share more with other Alliance members. Let’s keep in mind that when the ASX hit the market Mitsubishi wasn’t in the trio. It did so starting in 2016, when Nissan took advantage of its stock market crash due to an emissions scandal in Japan that had its roots in the 1990s, and thus took control of the company.
We have been told that conventional and plug-in hybrid versions will be among its engine options, although logically it will opt for all engines compatible with the platform – which are also manufactured in Spain – that Mitsubishi wants to market. Some engines may not be available if it helps Mitsubishi keep its CO 2 emissions low relative to Brussels. The current ASX does not have alternative engines.
The “complete equipment” will be another of its commercial arguments, like the Captur. The ASX will continue to have access to one of the most competitive segments of the European market. The number of small SUVs (B-SUVs) was about the same last year as the number of best-selling SUVs (B), 2,018,791 units versus 2,083,853, according to JATO Dynamics. Mitsubishi has not had a representative in the B segment since the end of Colt production in the Netherlands.
The next generation of the ASX will still not be 100% electric, as the CMF-B platform is multi-energy and accommodates combustion engines. There is no mention of a hypothetical electric version. If it comes into existence, it won’t be very competitive in terms of a range because of the space to put batteries.
