Photo: Mitsubishi
The second-generation Renault Captur was introduced in July 2019. After three years, it is close to receiving a midlife refresh to wait for its third generation around 2025. Despite that, Mitsubishi decided to revive the ASX moniker with classic badge-engineering skills on Renault’s crossover. Nothing meaningful changed apart from the badges and the front grille. The Japanese carmaker even wrote MITSUBISHI in capital letters on the back of its car to make sure people would know it was not a Renault.
That made us wonder what Mitsubishi was willing to offer to convince anyone to buy its car instead of the Renault crossover right away. But things get even worse. The Japanese carmaker will only sell its rebadged Captur in March 2023, six months from now. It is very likely that Renault will have already updated it until then. Perhaps that is the trick.
If the ASX arrives after the Captur is refreshed, it could become an option for people to buy the current Renault at a discount. Anyone willing to get the latest good would pay a bit more for the Captur. Those looking for a good deal would go with the Mitsubishi.
We can only be sure about that when the Japanese carmaker discloses the crucial element for its new crossover to make any sense: its prices. The ASX needs to be more affordable than the Captur. Mitsubishi has a smaller dealership network and fewer products. Its European presence is so tiny that the company even wondered about just leaving the region.
The ASX is an attempt to keep it going instead of just giving up on such an important market, and we get it. The surprising bit is that it was such a weak effort. The Japanese carmaker could have changed at least the plastic parts, such as the headlights and bumpers. Even the lateral rear-view mirrors could be a bit different. Developing these plastic parts is much cheaper than changing steel panels.
The new Mitsubishi has fewer engine options: a 1-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, a 1.3-liter direct injection turbocharged mill in a mild hybrid powertrain with a 7-speed double-clutch automated transmission, and a 1.6-liter machine that comes either with the hybrid powertrain or with a plug-in hybrid arrangement and a CVT that Nissan and Renault prefer to call a “multimode gearbox.”
Although Mitsubishi did not disclose the ASX’s dimensions, we already know them: the crossover is 4.23 meters (166.5 inches) long, 1.80 m (70.7 in) wide, 1.57 m (61.7 in) wide, and it has a wheelbase of 2.64 m (103.9 in). That’s how big the Captur is. Let’s wait for the prices, shall we?
If the ASX arrives after the Captur is refreshed, it could become an option for people to buy the current Renault at a discount. Anyone willing to get the latest good would pay a bit more for the Captur. Those looking for a good deal would go with the Mitsubishi.
We can only be sure about that when the Japanese carmaker discloses the crucial element for its new crossover to make any sense: its prices. The ASX needs to be more affordable than the Captur. Mitsubishi has a smaller dealership network and fewer products. Its European presence is so tiny that the company even wondered about just leaving the region.
The ASX is an attempt to keep it going instead of just giving up on such an important market, and we get it. The surprising bit is that it was such a weak effort. The Japanese carmaker could have changed at least the plastic parts, such as the headlights and bumpers. Even the lateral rear-view mirrors could be a bit different. Developing these plastic parts is much cheaper than changing steel panels.
The new Mitsubishi has fewer engine options: a 1-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, a 1.3-liter direct injection turbocharged mill in a mild hybrid powertrain with a 7-speed double-clutch automated transmission, and a 1.6-liter machine that comes either with the hybrid powertrain or with a plug-in hybrid arrangement and a CVT that Nissan and Renault prefer to call a “multimode gearbox.”
Although Mitsubishi did not disclose the ASX’s dimensions, we already know them: the crossover is 4.23 meters (166.5 inches) long, 1.80 m (70.7 in) wide, 1.57 m (61.7 in) wide, and it has a wheelbase of 2.64 m (103.9 in). That’s how big the Captur is. Let’s wait for the prices, shall we?
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