Car companies drop old models regularly, it’s just part of the cycle, but dumping 60 per cent of your showroom in one day is shocking. But that’s exactly what Mitsubishi announced today, confirming it will stop selling the ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport.
The news leaves just the Triton and Outlander to carry the brand’s hopes, although the good news for the brand is those two models accounted for more than 60 per cent of its total sales in 2024.
The decision to axe the ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport came as new Australian Design Rules (ADRs) required Mitsubishi to upgrade the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems in each model. Given the age of the three vehicles in question, it was too expensive to undertake such significant upgrades for what could be a relatively small return.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO, Shaun Westcott, said the decision was necessary and steps have been taken to make sure it doesn’t disrupt the brand’s 2025 plans. However, the three models did account for almost 29,000 sales in 2024, so don’t be surprised by a major sales drop for the brand when the final tally comes in.
“Given the position of ASX, Eclipse Cross and Pajero Sport in their current life cycles, investment towards the re-engineering of these vehicles to incorporate the new ADRs was not commercially feasible,” Westcott said.
“As a result, Australian production of these vehicles has ended. This is not unprecedented; we have seen similar situations before, and our teams are well-prepared to manage this transition.
“We have worked closely with our dealer partners to ensure each model line will be ordered in sufficient quantities ahead of time. This will support our customers while we continue to confirm our future model plans as a core Mitsubishi market. We will announce these future models in due course.”
Fortunately, the ‘due course’ for the ASX was today, with the company revealing the first look at the new compact SUV and confirming it will arrive before the end of the year.
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