Mitsubishi is repurposing, again, the Eclipse name.

And once again, the name will not be on a two-door sports car, but on a compact crossover SUV. Unlike the Eclipse Cross that’s currently sold in Canada, the new Eclipse Sportback will not have gasoline-burning engine. It will be fully electric.

The automaker released the first images of the upcoming Eclipse Sportback, marking the company’s return to EVs. The crossover will launch for the 2027 model year.

If it looks familiar, that’s because you’ve seen it before.

The Eclipse Sportback is based on the Nissan Leaf, which also shares guts with the Nissan Ariya.

Visual changes from the Leaf

You can’t hide the Leafyness of the Eclipse Sportback, but there are subtle differences to separate the two models.

The front and rear fascias have slight differences from the Leaf, this one mirroring other Mitsubishi models.

Mitsubishi’s electric journey

Mitsubishi points out its electrification journey began in the 1970s, when it began making electric vehicles in Japan.

The company’s first mass-produced electric car, the i-MiEV, went on sale in global markets in 2009, arriving in Canada and the United States in 2011.

The Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid SUV, arrived a year later.

Mitsubishi’s Momentum 2030 business plan calls for electrification as one of four key pillars for the company.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback’s full reveal, including specs, pricing and availability date, is planned for the second half of 2026.

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