Mitsubishi Motors Australia has announced it will be forced to axe three of its most popular models from its local line-up: the Pajero Sport 4WD wagon, and the ASX and Eclipse Cross small SUVs.
From March 1, 2025, new ADR design rules take effect making it illegal for these models to continue sale without further modification to reach the updated requirements.
The rule in question is understood to be related to the mandating of more advanced AEB systems, with Australian Design Rule 98/01 mandating that newly introduced vehicles must feature this technology from March 1, 2023, while vehicles already on sale at the time were allowed dispensation for two years from that date.
ADR 98/01 mandates that autonomous emergency braking systems are accurate enough to detect potential car-to-car or pedestrian collisions within a specific calibration.
Too old to update?
Mitsubishi Australia’s CEO, Shaun Westcott, said the three vehicles will be discontinued as it didn’t make financial sense to upgrade these models to be compliant.
“Given the position of the 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,” said Westcott.
The current-generation Pajero Sport, ASX and Eclipse Cross – aged 11-, 16- and nine-years-old respectively – are all decidedly in their vintage years, with numerous Chasing Cars reviews noting their decline in objective competitiveness against newer rivals.
Still, the ASX, in particular, has remained a strong seller for the brand, accounting for 8.1 percent of the increasingly competitive small SUV segment with 12,330 sales, while the Eclipse Cross made up 6.1 percent with 9221 units sold.
Despite its age, the Pajero Sport increased its market share from 4.4 to 5.9 percent with 7306 sales in 2024, coming close to the outgoing 150 Series Toyota Prado (9802), though rivals such as the Isuzu MU-X (17,978) and Ford Everest (26,494) were a long way ahead.
New ASX, Pajero Sport on the way
It’s not clear how or when the last of these three vehicles will be sold, though it’s likely all stock will need to be registered before March 1st to be compliant; with Mitsubishi pre-ordering stock in advance – presumably enough to plug the gap between the current vehicles and incoming generation.
“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,” Westcott said.
The next-generation ASX, essentially a re-badged Renault Captur, is already on sale in Europe and will be the version to come to Australia at some point in 2025. Read our separate article on what to expect from this model.
A new-generation Pajero Sport, based on the same updated platform as the MV Triton introduced in 2023, is likely to be introduced in early 2026, likely ushering in upgrades such as a twin-turbo engine, a greater towing capacity, interior tech and a modern safety package.
No rumblings of an immediate direct successor for the Eclipse Cross are currently in play but its plug-in hybrid variant will likely see a successor in some form.
Mitsubishi’s best-selling model, the Outlander midsize SUV, will receive a midlife update in 2025 bringing in design and interior specification updates while the PHEV is expected to have around 100km of range and offer more power.
The Triton will also see updates, with additional grades set to be added to the lineup in 2025 along with further body styles including cab chassis variants.
