The 2025 Mitsubishi ASX hybrid successor we really want: Mitsubishi XForce hybrid debuts in Thailand with Toyota-style plugless hybrid system. But will it ever make it to Australia to challenge the Hyundai Kona or Haval Jolion?

Mitsubishi has revealed the 2025 XForce hybrid small SUV in Thailand as the South East Asian market’s successor to the popular ASX.

Not just sold, but also built in Thailand, the XForce HEV will join the brand’s first plugless hybrid model, the Xpander which launched in early 2024.

The hybrid drive system used in both cars is developed from the Outlander’s PHEV components, using a smaller 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine but a similar two-speed transaxle drive system which accepts inputs from the electric motor and combustion engine, able to use one or the other, or both, depending on the speed of the vehicle. Total system output is a modest 85kW.

The XForce is front-wheel drive only and Mitsubishi says its fuel consumption is as low as 4.1L/100km according to the more lenient NEDC testing method, offering it the longest range on a single tank of fuel in its class (at least for its Thai home market).

Thanks to the XForce inheriting technology from the larger Outlander, it also features the brand’s active yaw control handling system, as well as seven driving modes, including ones designed for unsealed surfaces.

Standard features on the XForce range include 18-inch alloys, and a new take on the brand’s 'Dynamic Shield' face with LED headlights, while on the inside it features a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen and 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster.

It also features new-generation interior components like the three-spoke leather clad multi-function steering wheel which debuted on the Triton ute, alongside suspension especially tuned for Thailand’s road conditions.

The XForce features a safety suite which includes auto emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert with adaptive cruise control and auto high-beam.

However, the XForce remains an unlikely proposition for Australia, despite the local division preferring its 'Mitsubishi-ness' in comparison to the Renault Captur-based next-generation ASX set to arrive later in 2025.

The brand’s Japanese executives told Australian media it was unlikely the XForce would make it to Australia back in 2023, as it uses an updated version of an old platform which underpinned the previous-generation ASX which may now fall foul of increasingly strict Australian Design Rules, and almost certainly fall short of a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The executives said the XForce could theoretically be upgraded to meet the requirements of the Australian market, but it may prove too costly to be worthwhile. Evidently, with the confirmation of the Renault-based ASX replacement, they have since made their minds up, despite admitting their preference was for an in-house Mitsubishi design like the XForce, given the popularity of the outgoing ASX in Australia.

Mitsubishi is facing a lull in Australia in 2025 as an Australian Design Rule change (which mandates higher-grade auto emergency braking) forces it to pull the Pajero Sport off-road SUV and Eclipse Cross small SUV from sale.

This crops the Japanese stalwart’s range down to just the new-generation Triton ute and Outlander SUV, leaving it with one diesel and one petrol model with a plug-in hybrid option, and no ever-popular plugless hybrids, as it is currently rolling out across South East Asia.

The incoming French ASX replacement offers it a glimmer of hope, while the larger Eclipse Cross is expected to be replaced by the resurrected Grandis nameplate, which is a primarily plugless hybrid offering using a new Renault-sourced system.