Eclipse Cross to spawn family

Mitsubishi’s new Eclipse Cross could grow into a family of compact SUVs and a high-performance version potentially badged Ralliart is under investigation. Even a three-door coupe derivative is under serious consideration.

Launched at the Geneva motor show this week, the five-door five-seater will go on-sale in Australia late in 2017 pitched between the ASX and Outlander on-price in Mitsubishi’s soft-roader line-up.

While many launch details are still to be revealed by Mitsubishi Australia, it has been confirmed the Eclipse Cross will come with the choice of an all-new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and updated 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines. The petrol engine will be offered with the choice of six-speed manual and CVT transmissions, but the diesel might be restricted to an eight-speed auto. Front and all-wheel drive will be available.

At this stage, there is no plan for a hybrid Eclipse Cross, although the architecture it is based on and shared with ASX and Outlander is capable of it.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but given its positioning the Eclipse Cross is likely to start under $30,000 and finish just over $40,000.

Ramping up the performance of the Eclipse Cross would make sense as Mitsubishi is pitching it as a sporty SUV rather than practical family vehicle like the ASX and Outlander. The Ralliart name is a historically sporty and strong one within the Mitsubishi product line-up, most recently linked with a Lancer warm-hatch.

But with Mitsubishi now managed by Nissan and unlikely to continue with Lancer, instead focussing on SUVs, the emergence of a performance SUV is more likely.

Asked about the potential for a Ralliart version of the Eclipse Cross, Mitsubishi’s Program Director C&D-segment, Hiroshi Yamauchi, told Australian media at the Geneva show this week: “It’s possible.”

“I think that is one option, but first I want to get the feedback from the market and then I will decide which direction should be on the life-cycle management,” he said.

Yamauchi said the feedback process would take more than one year.

“I am not sure at this moment which direction is appropriate for new Eclipse Cross… The Ralliart version is one option.”

Yamauchi also didn’t rule out a coupe bodystyle, although clearly that has less chance of happening than a Ralliart Eclipse Cross.

“Three-door version is interesting, that is my opinion,” he said.

“But business-wise it is difficult due to small unit volume. If we want to develop a three-door version I need much more investment – a lot of money. To get more investment we need much more volume all over the world. So at this moment I think it would be very difficult to develop a three-door version.”

While intended to compete against the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and Toyota RAV4, the Eclipse Cross is noticeably smaller and only slightly larger than the ASX. It measures up at 4405mm long, 1805mm wide, 1685mm high and has an 2670mm wheelbase. By comparison, the second generation CX-5 that goes on-sale in Australia in April is 145mm longer, 35mm wider and 5mm higher. It has 30mm longer wheelbase.

But Yamauchi was insistent the Eclipse Cross was intended to sell based on sporting appeal and style rather than practical focus of the ASX and Outlander. The sloping roofline and a firmer chassis set-up were both factors in this he said.

“The customer does not want to be a stereotype,” said Yamauchi.

“We wanted to provide something that was quite different from the normal stereotype of products. We are thinking that maybe ASX customer may go and buy Eclipse Cross in the future and also Outlander customer may buy Eclipse Cross in the future.

“We are not thinking in the order of ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander.”

Yamauchi predicted strong sales for the Eclipse Cross in the USA and Europe and that it would challenge Outlander for global sales totals and potentially the ASX.

Mitsubishi sold approximately 170,000 Outlanders in 2016 and more than 180,000 ASXs globally.