Mitsubishi ASX VR-e 2026: release date, specs and what we know so far

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In Australia, the ASX name will now cover two technically unrelated cars. The Mitsubishi ASX already on sale is built on the Renault Captur platform, while the new ASX VR-e is a separate electric vehicle that Taiwanese manufacturer Foxtron will supply to the Japanese brand. Mitsubishi has confirmed sales in Australia and New Zealand before the end of 2026. The current petrol-powered ASX does indeed have French roots, built on the Captur architecture.

With the ASX VR-e, Mitsubishi didn’t stop at badge-swapping. Engineers tested the car on local roads and developed dedicated suspension and handling tuning. The brand’s Australian arm said back in spring that chassis character should be one of the ways Mitsubishi sets itself apart from Foxtron’s original design.

The styling is also aimed at efficiency: the official release mentions an S-shaped duct at the front of the body and active shutters that reduce aerodynamic drag. The VR-e designation nods to the Galant VR-4, though the new model isn’t a direct successor to Mitsubishi’s old performance cars.

Mitsubishi hasn’t yet released technical specifications for the ASX VR-e itself. That’s an important caveat, since the closely related Foxtron Bria is already much better documented. The official Bria comes with a 57.7 kWh LFP battery, rear-wheel drive, a 171 kW (233 hp) electric motor, a claimed 516 km on the NEDC cycle, and DC fast charging up to 134 kW; Australian sources had already linked Mitsubishi to the Model B/Bria platform before this announcement. Carrying those figures over to the ASX VR-e without Mitsubishi’s confirmation isn’t safe just yet.

This localisation matters a lot to Mitsubishi given how fast the Australian market is changing: Chinese manufacturers have already sharply strengthened their position in the country, with electric vehicles among the drivers of that shift. At the same time, Mitsubishi itself is still more closely associated with transitional PHEV technology — for instance, the updated Outlander PHEV recently gained a larger battery and extended electric range.

So the real test for the ASX VR-e will begin once three numbers are published: price, range on the Australian test cycle, and the variant lineup. Those will show just how far Mitsubishi has reworked Foxtron’s original design — and whether the new ASX can compete on more than a familiar badge.