Mitsubishi is making this Pininfarina-designed e-crossover for Australia

Mitsubishi makes only a handful of EVs across its global markets, but it's finally getting around to expanding its lineup with a beauty. Australia will get this handsome crossover later this year.The ASX VR-e, with its unibrow headlamp and recessed "grille," looks pretty sharp. And that's not by accident, of course: this one's been designed by the talented people at Italy's Pininfarina. You know, the firm behind dozens of cars from Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, and Ford. It's even done a couple of Mitsubishis.Our eagle-eyed readers will likely have noticed the car looks rather familiar, and that's because this is a largely a rebadged model. It's a slightly modified Foxtron Bria, which is made for Taiwan by the automotive arm of iPhone manufacturing partner Foxconn.The Bria was shown off a couple of years ago, and Foxtron officially announced it'd begin selling it in Taiwan last December. Beyond slick styling for a reasonably priced hatchback (about AU$40,000 or just over US$28,000 for the low-end one), it gets a decent setup under the hood.The Bria's base model runs a 230-hp rear-mounted electric motor with a 57.7-kWh LFP battery. According to Foxtron, that's good for a 0-60-mph (0-100-km/h) time of 6.8 seconds, and 320 miles (516 km) of NEDC driving range.The top-end Bria, meanwhile, gets dual motors that make 400 hp, offer all-wheel drive, and get this thing from 0-60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. With the same battery in town, it promises about 290 miles (466 km) on a full charge. And 134-kW DC fast charging tops it off from 10%-80% in just half an hour.So while it's a rebadged ride, it's at least got some impressive figures worth getting excited about. And according to Car Expert, Mitsubishi says the ASX VR-e will get some styling touches of its own for the front and rear ends, as well as the cabin and wheels. At the moment though, the two look pretty darn similar (not a bad thing). The platform and design for this model – and the Foxtron Bria it's based on – come from Italy's PininfarinaMitsubishi Motors Australia We don't yet know what battery and powertrain options the ASX VR-e will get across its four variants, though. Also, Drive notes that NEDC range tests are notoriously optimistic, so you'll want to lower your expectations of how far it'll go by a few percentage points.If the Bria is anything to go by, you can also expect a good bunch of features inside the ASX VR-e. That includes a 15.6-inch infotainment screen, wireless charging, ADAS systems for cruise control and lane-keeping assistance, a 360-degree parking camera, and a powered tailgate. The interiors look sensible and comfortable, with a large touchscreen and wireless phone charging in the centerMitsubishi Motors Australia There's no telling if or when Mitsubishi will take the trouble to bring this over to the US, as it seems to be rather slow about that. The brand is slated to revive its off-roading Pajero SUV this (Northern Hemisphere) fall – but reports indicate it'll launch Stateside around 2030.For folks in Australia looking for a compact SUV-sorta car, the ASX VR-e will offer up an alternative to the MG 4 and BYD's Dolphin, both hailing from China. It's slated to arrive sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. I'd queue up for a 400-hp variant if it shows up.Source: Mitsubishi Motors Australia (LinkedIn)