New Mitsubishi ASX is a Renault Captur in Mitsubishi clothes – NOT for the UK

The new Mitsubishi ASX is revealed as a rebadged Renault Captur, with a PHEV option and going on sale in select European markets.

As the car marketplace becomes ever more difficult for car makers to keep up with advancing technologies, many are resorting to platform sharing and rebadging models from other makers as their own to slash costs, like the Suzuki Swace which is a rebadged Toyota Corolla and Ford’s plan to use VW’s ID underpinnings for some of its own EVs.

Now it’s Mitsubishi’s turn to deliver a new car that’s really just a rebadged model from elsewhere, with the new Mitsubishi ASX arriving as a Renault Captur with just the bare minimum of changes to make it a Mitsubishi. Even Mitsubishi admits “the new ASX is a compact SUV supplied by Renault”.

Unsurprisingly, the new ASX also share its engine options with the Captur, with a 1.6-litre PHEV with a pair of motors, a 1.6-litre HEV, 1.3-litre mild hybrid and 1.0-litre turbo petrol in the mix.

It’s all very sensible and pragmatic from Mitsubishi, but the trouble is you can’t have one in the UK.

A couple of years ago, Mitsubishi decided it was abandoning the European car market – including the UK – as it tried to stem losses and concentrate on its Asian market.

But Mitsubishi had a bit of a change of heart and decided to stay in some European markets – like Germany – but the decision to leave the UK market – despite big success with the Mitsubishi PHEV – remains.