The incoming Mitsubishi ASX VR-e is far more techy than any Mitsubishi-badged vehicle before it, and the Japanese brand accepts that won't appeal to its traditional buyers.
The ASX VR-e is an electric vehicle (EV) developed and built by Taiwanese manufacturer Foxtron, a joint venture between iPhone maker Foxconn and automaker Yulon, with extensive input from Mitsubishi.
It adopts a touchscreen-heavy interior approach with limited physical controls for most vehicle functions.
That's a stark departure from most in-house Mitsubishis, which tend to offer a simplified touchscreen layout and a plethora of physical buttons for vehicle settings, drive modes, and climate control.
"If you look across our portfolio, we do offer a more, let’s say, tech-friendly offering from our existing ASX product in particular from the Renault stable, and we have Outlander, which is similar in that regard," Mitsubishi Australia VR-e product strategy manager Tim Clarke told media, including CarExpert.
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"What we’re looking at is – we have quite a stretched capability within our range, and the ASX VR-e represents probably the most tech-heavy vehicle in our lineup – how we appeal to the mass-market, the majority."
Mr Clarke added the ASX VR-e is not dissimilar to increasingly popular models from Chinese manufacturers, many of which centre their in-car experiences around their touchscreen functionality.
"I think we’re seeing now the market evolving and fragmenting as well, in a lot of ways," he said.
"There’s always going to be people that don’t want the tech, and we can’t necessarily appeal to them with this product, but we have other products in our portfolio that we can put in front of them if that’s their preference."
At the centre of the VR-e's cabin is a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system incorporating vehicle settings and status monitoring, energy management, climate control, smartphone mirroring, and audio. Connected services are included as standard.
There are only a handful of buttons below the screen on the steering wheel but none on the centre console, where you'd typically find a gear selector and various driving-related controls in traditional Mitsubishis.
The gear selector is a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column, ahead of which is a slim 9.2-inch instrument cluster display.
"It’s quite intuitive, but I also understand that you get into a traditional Mitsubishi and you get into the ASX VR-e, and it’s more screen-driven from the centre of the vehicle, with less screen in front of you," Mr Clarke said.
"There’s the whole battery-electric thing as well, which is a big step for a lot of people trying to understand how that fits into their daily driving routine with charging and the other behavioural changes that you need.
"In that regard, if you’re stepping from an [internal-combustion car] to a BEV, you need behavioural change anyway, so adapting to the tech is probably part of that overall adaptation process."
The ASX VR-e is due to launch locally before the end of 2026. It'll be available with both single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains, the latter reserved for the flagship 342kW GSR.
All variants are powered by a 57.7kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with a maximum WLTP range claim of 403km.
Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but the ASX VR-e will compete squarely with the Kia EV3, MG 4 EV, BYD Atto 3 Evo, and Zeekr X.