2027 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Looks Like a Nissan Leaf (Because it is One)

The badge engineering works both ways with Nissan and Mitsubishi. Following the release of last year’s Nissan Rogue Plug-in Hybrid (which was really a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV), the technology transfer is working in the other direction with the newly revealed Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback.

If it looks a lot like a Nissan Leaf with a few design changes, that’s because it is, and Mitsubishi’s not trying to hide it. A good platform is a good platform, and if this is the fastest way to get the brand’s first North American electric vehicle (EV) since the i-MIEV on the road, so be it.

To differentiate it from its Nissan roots, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback will get a new front end that features a squared-off (and somewhat sporty) lower grille section, a pinstriped upper grille (with a Mitsubishi badge in the middle), and a new light signature.

Similarly, at the rear, the bumper features a new lower element, the taillights have an arrow motif, and, of course, the badge changes. Separate wheel options will also be offered on the Eclipse Sportback, including the intriguing triangular ones pictured here.

Unfortunately, Mitsubishi is waiting to reveal technical specs, but seeing as how the Leaf is already on the road, we can make some pretty educated guesses about what power the new Eclipse Sportback.

From Nissan, the platform is available with either a 75 kWh battery pack, or a 53 kWh version (which has not yet reached our roads). They provide the Leaf with up to 463 km of range and both a Combined Charging System (CCS) and a North American Charging System (NACS) port are included, for ultimate charging freedom.

Power in the Nissan comes from a single electric motor that turns the front wheels. It provides drivers with up 214 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque, though the version equipped with the smaller battery will get 174 hp and 254 lb-ft of torque (all of which will presumably make it a more affordable EV).

2026 Nissan Leaf interior

Inside, the Leaf comes with a minimalist interior with twin 12.3 inch screens all contained within a single continuous housing high on the dashboard. Prices for the Nissan start at around $47,000.

Mitsubishi has not yet revealed how it will price the Eclipse Sportback, but the Nissan Rogue Plug-in Hybrid — the latter brand’s badge engineered version of the Outlander PHEV — is available in a single, decked out trim, meaning that its base price is higher than its corporate cousin’s.

It’s unclear if Mitsubishi will go the same way, effectively offering the Eclipse Sportback in a single, richly equipped trim (the Leaf Platinum+ starts at around $55,000). It may also go the other way, offering only the smaller battery pack, and pricing the Eclipse Sportback aggressively.

If it does choose to go with that strategy, it would likely benefit from newly reintroduced federal incentives under the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP), which will offer up to $5,000 off fully electric vehicles with a final transaction value of less than $50,000.

All will be revealed when the 2027 Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback goes on sale in the late summer or early fall of this year.