Next-gen Mitsubishi Eclipse revealed as rebadged Nissan Leaf

The evolution of the Mitsubishi Eclipse nameplate is one of the more interesting case studies of the modern motoring world. 

Initially entering the market as a two-door sports car and convertible, the Eclipse name eventually returned as a compact crossover with an available plug-in hybrid. And now it seems to have evolved again into a fully electric crossover, borrowed from alliance partner Nissan.

Debuting overnight for the North American market, the latest generation Eclipse — badged as the Eclipse Sportback — has been revealed as a mildly tweaked version of the new Nissan Leaf. 

There isn’t a huge amount of difference between the two. The Eclipse gets its own front fascia design, new bumpers at both ends, and new taillights that don’t have the same retro Nissan look as the ones featured on the Leaf.

Mitsubishi has yet to show any images of the interior, but it’s expected to utilise most of the Leaf’s existing hardware. Mitsubishi has also yet to reveal any power output or battery details. Again, it’s expected that these figures will echo the Leaf’s figures. 

The Leaf is offered with either a 52kWh or 75kWh battery pack overseas, with range rated at 435km and 600km, respectively. The smaller battery version is paired to a 130kW/345Nm powertrain, whilst the larger battery version gets 160kW/355Nm.

Mitsubishi New Zealand head of marketing, Reece Congdon, confirmed to CarExpert NZ that the Eclipse Sportback is "not currently in our short term plans."

"We have the Outlander Sport HEV, all-new Pajero and our soon to be announced BEV all landing in New Zealand this year. These will be strong additions to our range and will provide customers with a full suite of drivetrain options," he added.

"We’ll continue discussions with our parent company around other potential models for New Zealand but we have no other announcements to make at this stage."

Nevertheless, if the model does get a right-hand drive version and is picked up for our market, it could create an interesting situation Down Under. 

After initially announcing that the new Leaf would be sold in Australia and New Zealand later this year, Nissan’s Australian and New Zealand teams confirmed in March that it had changed its mind — putting the Leaf on ice on both sides of the ditch.

In the weeks following the news, war broke out in Iran and prices of petrol and diesel skyrocketed worldwide. In Australia and New Zealand, this led to a surge in electric vehicle sales. Despite this, Nissan has remained firm on its Leaf position for our region. 

Should the Eclipse Sportback get the greenlight for markets beyond North America, Mitsubishi could potentially bring the Leaf to market here — just with a different badge on the front. 

Nissan recently launched its all-new Navara ute in Australia and New Zealand, which shares its platform, powertrain, interior, and the majority of its sheetmetal with the Mitsubishi Triton. 

Mitsubishi has already confirmed that it plans to launch a new EV in Australia and New Zealand later this year, based on a platform sourced from Taiwanese carmaker Foxtron. The model is said to have benefited from extensive local testing, and will be an exclusive model to our markets.