Is a new Mitsubishi ASX for Australia finally on the way?

A replacement to the 14-year-old Mitsubishi ASX for markets such as the US and Australia may finally be in development, following fresh reports a new small SUV is planned to join the brand's US line-up next year.

According to industry journal Automotive News, Mitsubishi dealers in the US have been briefed on a new "plug-in hybrid small crossover" due in the second half of 2025 as the company's new entry-level model, replacing the Mirage city car.

It is said to form part of a wave of new models for Mitsubishi in the US – which has an average age across its model line-up of about nine years – including a "passenger van" believed to be the next Delica, which is under consideration for Australia.

Few details of the new Mitsubishi small SUV are known, and for now it is unclear where it will be manufactured, or if it will be developed for right-hand drive countries.

A Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson told Drive "this information pertains only to the North American market," and information on the Australian "future product strategy" will be announced "at the appropriate time".

A teaser image published by Mitsubishi US overnight of its future model roll-out – said to consist of seven new or updated vehicles by April 2030 – shows two vehicles, which could be new small SUVs to succeed the ASX.

If the US-bound small SUV is locked in for Australia, it would finally provide a successor for the ageing ASX that first went on sale in 2010.

MORE: Future of Mitsubishi ASX still unclear

Mitsubishi is understood to be weighing up a number of options, and company executives told Australian media mid-last year it hoped to make a decision on the ASX's replacement by the end of 2023, but nothing has been announced.

Among the successors being considered were re-engineering the Mitsubishi Xforce SUV sold in South-East Asia to earn five stars in Australian safety testing, or a rebadged Spanish-built Renault Captur that is already sold in Europe as the Mitsubishi ASX.

The third option – previously considered least likely in the short-term – was an all-new model, but Mitsubishi executives have warned it would take a number of years to develop.

Production of the current ASX in Japan has ended for the domestic market, but it continues to be built for Australia, and the company says it sells every ASX it can ship to local showrooms.

A Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson recently told Drive "we will continue to take current ASX through this year, until further notice."

One of the two small-sized SUVs seen in the teaser images – with flipped C-shaped light signatures – bears a strong resemblance to the Xforce SUV.

While it appears to have different headlights – as well as an illuminated section stretching lower down on the front bumper – its flat roofline, pronounced rear wheel arches and lower door trim look much like the Xforce.

It is possible Mitsubishi may have given the green light to a re-engineered version of the Xforce aimed at developed markets, which could achieve five stars in Australian independent testing.

Automotive News reports Mitsubishi will lean on its alliance with Nissan to "bring new product faster and [more] cost-effectively to market," suggesting the new small SUV may be based on a Nissan.

The mention of the new SUV being a replacement for the decade-old Mirage city sedan – priced from $US16,695 ($AU25,000) – suggests it may be cheaper than the ASX, which is sold in the US as the Outlander Sport for $US23,695 ($AU35,500).

Nissan sells the Kicks in North America, a Mitsubishi ASX-sized SUV, which has just been treated a new generation, built in Mexico and estimated to be priced from about $US23,000, according to US reports.

Alongside the new small SUV, Mitsubishi is planning to roll out a "passenger van" in the US towards the end of the decade, based on the D:X Concept unveiled at the Tokyo motor show late last year.

It is expected to be the next generation of the Delica people-mover, which is being considered for local showrooms after an example of the outgoing model was brought to Australia last year for evaluation.

Automotive News reports an off-road-focused version of the Outlander mid-size family SUV is also in the works, known provisionally as the 'Outlander Rugged Edition'.

A dealer at the closed-door US preview event described it to Automotive News as "Subaru Outback-like" with "large tyres and a heavy-duty roof rack."

Both the off-road Outlander, and Delica D:X concept can be seen in the teaser image released by Mitsubishi US overnight – shortly after the Automotive News report was published – alongside five other vehicles.

One appears to be another Outlander – possibly a facelift of the current model – plus a pair of small-looking SUVs, and two larger SUVs with boxy bodies in the back corners of the line-up.

Some of the vehicles will offer electric power, Mitsubishi in the US has confirmed – possibly the vehicles in the far left corner, which have similar styling to upcoming Nissans shown in a recent future-model roadmap.

The official statement from the Japanese car giant is by Japanese fiscal year 2030 (April 2029 to March 2030 inclusive), it will launch in the US "two all-new vehicles ... into segments in which the company does not currently compete."

It says "a new or completely refreshed vehicle [is planned] to debut each year between fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2030. By fiscal 2030, [Mitsubishi North America's] vehicle line-up in the US will nearly double from today's four vehicles."

Automotive News reports Mitsubishi US has expressed interest in a ute for North America, after head office in Japan announced last week it would partner with Nissan to introduce a HiLux and Ranger-sized pick-up for the region.

Hinting at the collaboration with Nissan – part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance – Mitsubishi US said in a media release "some vehicles will be produced locally utilizing [sic] Alliance assets."