GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Mitsubishi reveals Eclipse Cross

Mitsubishi has finally revealed the Eclipse Cross – an all-new compact SUV that will be positioned between the ASX and Outlander in its range, including in Australia – at the Geneva motor show on March 7.

Revealed here in full after a drawn-out teaser campaign, the Eclipse Cross will go on sale in Europe around October before hitting Japan, North America, Australia and other regions, said Mitsubishi tonight.

Drawing its name from the sporty coupe and convertible Mitsubishi sold in the US until 2012, the compact SUV will be a direct rival for small SUVs like the Nissan QASHQAI and could become the Japanese car-maker's best-seller Down Under.

It was first previewed by the 2015 Geneva show's XR Concept and then the 2016 Indonesian show's XM concept (not the 2015 Tokyo show's eX Concept, which previews the next ASX, or the 2016 Paris show's GT-PEV concept, which points to a new Outlander), which featured an advanced plug-in hybrid powertrain.

There's no sign of that in the production Eclipse Cross, however, which has been confirmed to come with direct-injection turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines matched with CVT and eight-speed automatic transmissions respectively.

Both will drive through Mitsubishi's electronically-controlled Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system incorporating brake-activated Active Yaw Control, which "feeds the optimum amount of torque to the rear wheels as required by the driving situation and surface conditions".

Measuring 4405mm long, 1805mm wide, 1685mm high and riding on a 2670mm wheelbase, the Eclipse Cross features a three-point front suspension strut tower and "strategic use of structural bonding" at the rear to increase body rigidity.

"The tougher body and detail optimization of the suspension offers precise handling and superior vehicle stability," says Mitsubishi.

Inside, the Eclipse Cross features Touchpad Controller, Head-Up Display and a Smartphone Link Display Audio system supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, providing voice controlled operation of Google Maps, Google Play music and other apps.

Punctuated by Mitsubishi's 'Dynamic Shield' frontal design, the Eclipse Cross body – which will be available in a new red paint colour -- features a coupe-like profile and "almost cubist" styling around the high-mounted, stretched rear lights and heavily raked, horizontally divided rear window. When illuminated, the tubular LED brake lights and high-mounted central LED stop light form a single, full-width light bar.

Within the futuristic five-seat cabin is a horizontal dashboard with silver metal frames, black/silver monotone colour scheme and 60:40-split rear seat with long slide-and-recline adjustment to deliver "plenty of legroom" and "ample headroom" despite the sloping rear roofline.