2016 Mitsubishi ASX, Mirage facelifts revealed: Mirage here next year, ASX under consideration

The newly updated 2016 Mitsubishi Mirage light car and ASX SUV have touched down at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

Both models have been facelifted for the US market, and it’s the ASX â€" known there as the Outlander Sport â€" that has been given the most attention.

At the front of Mitsubishi’s strong-selling small SUV is the new ‘Dynamic Shield’ styling that debuted with the larger Outlander, bringing the ASX in-line with the company’s evolving design language.

The ASX’s looks are otherwise unchanged for 2016, with the profile, rear-end and interior styling of the current range carrying over without a touch.

Local specifications are still to be confirmed, but with the overseas model’s powertrain arrangement continuing as is, we can likely expect the Australian model to soldier on with its existing 2.0 petrol and 2.2 diesel options.

For the Mirage hatch, there’s a new grille design inspired by the related sedan model (known overseas as the Attrage), along with refreshed headlight internals that include new Nissan-like LED daytime lights.

A new front bumper design rounds out the front-end tweaks, while the rear gets lightly updated tail lamps and a subtly revised bumper shape.

As with the ASX, local specifications for the updated Mirage are still to be confirmed, although the current model’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit can likely be expected to continue into the new year.

Speaking with CarAdvice today, Mitsubishi Australia communications manager Shayna Welsh confirmed that the local Mirage would be updated in the first half of 2016.

The updated ASX revealed today, however, is still “under consideration” for the Australian market, with a final decision on its introduction still to come.

“We’re still investigating a range of possibilities but, essentially, we’re interested to see what the public reaction is to the US styling,” Ms Welsh said.

With the US market’s ASX built locally, it is possible that Australia’s Japan-sourced model will continue with its current looks, or take on a different look unique to Japan and the markets that take models from that source.