A new compact SUV will take to the roads across Europe in 2012 as a joint venture between Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen.

The carmakers today announced the collaborative project, which will provide Peugeot and Citroen with a vehicle based on an existing Mitsubishi platform.

They will have specific designs for Peugeot and Citroen while sharing many components with the Mitsubishi ASX.

These vehicles will be available in both four and two-wheel drive. The projected volume for Peugeot and Citroen will reach 50,000 units per year for both brands.

Under the agreement, PSA Peugeot Citroen will use its 1.6 HDi diesel engine for its own models. CO2 emissions with this engine will be particularly low for this type of vehicle, targeting, for the 2 wheel drive version, 123g CO2 / km or less than 4.7 litres per 100km.

For PSA Peugeot Citroën, the new vehicles will expand the ranges of both Peugeot and Citroën and attract new customers in a market segment that is expected to grow worldwide by almost 60% by 2015.

For Mitsubishi Motors, the additional volume will enable it to bolster production of this platform, allowing it to enjoy benefits of economies of scale.

This is the 4th cooperative project between the two partners, after the SUV Mitsubishi Outlander, Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosser agreement in 2005, the construction of a joint plant in Russia that has just been inaugurated, and the European launch in late 2010 of the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-zero electric vehicles, based on MMC's Japanese i-MiEV* model.