Mitsubishi to present new electric SUV for Europe in September
It has been known since autumn 2023 that Renault and Ampere are to produce a compact electric SUV for Mitsubishi. At the time, Renault CEO Luca de Meo said: “I can confirm that Mitsubishi will produce a C-SUV EV for the world on the AmpR Medium platform, of course in Douai, and of course all electric.”
Mitsubishi’s plans are now becoming more concrete: The Japanese company has now revealed that the model will be called the Eclipse Cross. Mitsubishi has been selling a compact SUV under this name since 2018, which was initially only available as a combustion engine and has also been available as a plug-in hybrid since 2021. Production of the model was discontinued in 2024 – the new Eclipse Cross has been completely redeveloped and will only be launched as an electric car.
The use of the Renault AmpR Medium platform shows that this is a new development. Mitsubishi also speaks of a “confident and
futuristic EV design developed under the supervision of Mitsubishi Motors Europe Design based near Frankfurt am Main in Germany, and incorporates the next generation of Mitsubishi Motors signature ‘Dynamic Shield’ front face.”
The new Eclipse Cross is to be available with two different drive batteries, which should guarantee long electric ranges. If you look at the technical data for the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric, which is also based on the AmpR Medium, the batteries could have a capacity of 60 kWh and 87 kWh. In the Scenic, these can be combined with motors with 125 kW or 160 kW output.
Mitsubishi also promises that the all-electric Eclipse Cross will be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and a state-of-the-art infotainment system with Google Built-in, which should provide safety and comfort for the whole family both in daily commuting and on longer weekend trips.
According to the company, the new Eclipse Cross is the first all-electric vehicle that Mitsubishi Motors has launched in Europe since 2010 – when the Mitsubishi EV (also known as the i-MiEV) was the world’s first all-electric car to be mass-produced by a manufacturer. After that, however, Mitsubishi took a break from the all-electric sector and pushed ahead with the development of plug-in hybrids.
Even though the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance has been crumbling for some time, both Mitsubishi and Nissan want Renault to continue building electric vehicles for the European market. As recently as March, Nissan confirmed its intention to have the electric Micra built at the Ampere plant in Douai on the basis of the Renault AmpR Small platform. The Renault R5 is also based on the AmpR Small, so the Nissan Micra is likely to be a kind of sister model to the R5.
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