Mitsubishi confirms electric ASX VR-e for NZ, its first BEV since the i-MiEV

Mitsubishi will sell a battery electric vehicle in New Zealand for the first time since the pioneering i-MiEV, with Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand confirming a four-model ASX VR-e range for arrival in the final quarter of 2026.

The electric SUV is the second model in what MMNZ calls a new wave of Mitsubishi vehicles, following the recently announced Outlander Sport HEV, and joins the Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross PHEV in the distributor’s electrified stable. The range will be headlined by a high-performance GSR model, with Exceed, XLS and LS variants below it.

The VR-e is not a Mitsubishi in-house development. The company describes it as developed in partnership with Italian design house Pininfarina and EV manufacturer Foxtron, the electric vehicle arm of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, best known as the maker of the iPhone.

The ASX nameplate stays in service alongside it, with MMNZ saying the existing compact SUV, one of New Zealand’s most successful passenger cars, will continue “for the foreseeable future”. The VR-e badge borrows from the Galant VR-4, the rally-bred sports sedan of Mitsubishi’s late-eighties heyday, which the company says reflects the newcomer’s sporty character.

MMNZ chief operating officer Tony Johnston frames the arrival as a return to form. “Mitsubishi Motors introduced the first mass production electric vehicle to New Zealand in 2011 with iMiEV, before leading the growth of plug-in hybrid technology through the best-selling Outlander PHEV,” he says.

“With the arrival of Outlander Sport HEV and ASX VR-e, we’re providing customers with more choices that align with their evolving lifestyles and development of local infrastructure.”

Design details released so far centre on aerodynamics: an S-Duct channels air from the centre of the front bumper over the bonnet, while active grille shutters close to cut drag when cooling demand allows. Horizontal stripe motifs run through the lighting signatures, rear pillars and wheel design, with a full-width LED light bar and welcome lighting up front.

Johnston leans on the brand’s local footprint as the differentiator in a crowded electric market, pointing to more than 60 dealerships nationwide and five decades in New Zealand. “For New Zealanders considering an electric vehicle, the ASX VR-e combines advanced technology with the confidence of a brand they know and trust,” he says.

Specifications, pricing and battery details are yet to be announced, with MMNZ promising more in the coming months. On the timing given, the VR-e will land in showrooms just as the summer EV selling season begins.