Will it come here? Mitsubishi's new small SUV details revealed, but can it replace the veteran ASX or even Eclipse Cross?

Mitsubishi has officially confirmed the design for its next small SUV for the Southeast Asian market, based heavily on the XFC concept of late 2022, all but locking it in for production.

The small SUV will be produced for the market composed primarily of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - consisting of Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia.

This means it’s not confirmed for Australia, and we could even potentially miss out on the model if its final production version doesn’t meet local requirements.

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The XFC-based small SUV, set to debut in the metal at the 2023 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, isn’t far from the size of the ASX and Eclipse Cross, coming in at 4390mm long, 1810mm wide and 1660mm tall, with only exterior details confirmed for now in terms of design.

Mitsubishi does also note the model will use a 1.5-litre engine, likely a four-cylinder, which will drive the front wheels via a CVT.

As it stands, the focus for the model being on the ASEAN region means it’s not specifically engineered to meet strict Australian regulations.

“This vehicle is the production version of the XFC small SUV concept shown earlier this year,” a Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide.

The XFC-based small SUV is set to debut in the metal at the 2023 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show.

“It has been developed for the ASEAN market, which has its own emissions and safety requirements that are currently behind the Australian regulations.

“For Australia, our current focus remains on the existing ASX and Eclipse Cross in this highly competitive space, and we are exploring options with Japan on to which future direction we will take.”

From the outside, it seems there are two options that are clearest: have the new XFC-based small SUV reengineered in some way to suit the Australian market or bite the bullet and import the Renault Captur-based Euro-spec ‘second-gen’ ASX.

The latter would mean bringing a badge-swapped version of the French small SUV to Australia in an attempt to replace the first generation of one of Mitsubishi’s most enduring models, though it would be sold in the same market as the actual Renault Captur, a model which sold just 685 units in the first half of 2023, versus the 4207 ASXs Mitsubishi sold.