Mitsubishi brings back the Eclipse name, this time as a Leaf-based electric SUV, the 2027 Eclipse Sportback. Don't get too excited, though, because this isn't the return of the brand's low-slung sports car. No, just as Mitsubishi already recycled the Eclipse name for the underwhelming Eclipse Cross SUV, the automaker is doing the same for the 2027 Eclipse Sportback, a new subcompact electric SUV.
If the shape looks familiar, that's because the Eclipse Sportback is a rebadged Nissan Leaf. Mitsubishi and Nissan have grown increasingly intertwined, with Nissan holding a roughly 24 percent stake in its fellow Japanese automaker. We first heard about plans for a Leaf-based Mitsubishi EV last May, and now we finally have a sense of what to expect.
View Price on AmazonMitsubishi didn't announce any technical details or pricing information about the 2027 Eclipse Sportback, but simply released a few photos that show how the EV will be differentiated from its Nissan sibling. Up front, the headlights are joined by a trim piece featuring a series of vertically oriented silver rectangles, while the headlights have ditched the chin strap found on the Leaf and have slightly different graphical elements. The front bumper is also chunkier, with more defined air intakes framed by black trim that houses the parking sensors.
The Eclipse Sportback rides on funky wheels sporting a triangular design, and a prominent EV badge sits on the front doors below the side-view mirrors. The taillights have also been significantly tweaked, with LED elements that look like arrows pointing outward. The lighting units on the trunk lid that come on the Leaf Platinum+ have been ditched, with "Mitsubishi" spelled out across the rear fascia. The rear bumper has a similarly bulky look to the front end.
Mitsubishi says that it will go on sale in late summer or early fall of this year. More technical details and official pricing should emerge in the next month or two, but we expect it to be priced similarly to the Leaf, which starts at $31,535.
Source: caranddriver.com
