Mitsubishi previews next Outlander SUV and new ASX

The next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander SUV and a new version of the smaller ASX have been revealed to dealers at a conference in the US, ahead of their expected arrival in Australia.

Reported by Automotive News, Mitsubishi's North American dealers were given a preview of the models – alongside a look at the returning Pajero SUV – as part of the brand's Momentum 2030 strategy.

Dealers at the event told Automotive News a new fifth-generation Outlander, a rival to the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, is scheduled for launch in the US in the second half of 2028. Australian timing has yet to be confirmed.

Replacing the current model, which has been on sale in Australia since 2022, it will sit on a new Mitsubishi-developed platform. The current Outlander uses the CMF-CD architecture shared with Alliance partners Renault and Nissan.

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The next-generation Outlander will introduce a dramatic new front-end design, according to the report, including a closed-off grille and a stacked row of eight slimline LED lights.

While it's all change at the front, the redesigned rear is set to continue the current Outlander's 'fighter jet' design theme, which Mitsubishi has previously said was inspired by an aircraft tailplane.

An off-road-focused version was also shown, featuring increased ground clearance, unique body cladding, a revised front bumper and a retuned all-wheel-drive system.

It builds on the Outlander Trail Edition introduced to US showrooms in 2025 but not offered in Australia.

That model features Mitsubishi's Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system alongside a range of dealer-fitted parts and accessories designed to enhance its rugged appeal, including mudflaps, a front skid plate, black bonnet graphics, and front and rear mudguard protectors. It also rides on black 18-inch alloy wheels and features a black grille and mirrors, among other aesthetic tweaks.

The Outlander was the brand's top-selling vehicle in the US in 2025, despite total Mitsubishi sales falling from 109,843 in 2024 to 94,754 last year.

According to Automotive News, dealers were shown a new Outlander Sport small SUV which is noticeably larger and features slim LED headlights and a "protruding, muscular" grille, along with extensive off-road-focused styling cues.

This includes a bullbar, exposed recovery hooks, a roof rack and a ladder providing access to the roof.

The Outlander Sport is the US name for what was previously sold in Australia as the ASX, a small SUV now more than 15 years old that's still offered in markets such as North America and New Zealand.

The new car will reportedly move to a new platform, with one dealer telling Automotive News "it's a completely new vehicle from the ground up".

It's particularly crucial for the brand in the US market, as Mitsubishi sells just three vehicles there: the Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander. The Nissan Leaf-based Eclipse Sportback is due later this year, while Mitsubishi is set to reintroduce a ute in the US with the revived Pajero potentially following it there.

The new Outlander Sport will replace a model that ceased being exported to Australia last year, and which was replaced by a lightly restyled Renault Captur also wearing the ASX nameplate.

The Captur-based ASX is also sold by Mitsubishi in Europe.

Renault no longer offers the Captur in Australia, and is launching the slightly larger Symbioz to replace it. A rebadged version of this is sold by Mitsubishi in Europe as the Grandis alongside the Captur-based ASX, though the Japanese brand hasn't announced any plans to follow suit in offering the model in Australia.

Mitsubishi Australia has previously told CarExpert the Renault-based ASX is a stopgap measure before a "true replacement" is developed.

It's unclear whether this new Outlander Sport/ASX will be offered in markets like Australia or Japan, where the old model has been discontinued.

Mitsubishi sells a separate small SUV in Southeast Asia called the Xforce which is available with hybrid power but, while this is heading to New Zealand under the Outlander Sport nameplate, it has been ruled out for Australia as it won't meet Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

MORE: Explore the Mitsubishi Outlander showroom
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