Mitsubishi back in black

On the verge of setting an all-time sales record in Australia, Mitsubishi has updated the Eclipse Cross compact SUV and rolled out a bunch of Black Edition limited-run models.

Sitting on 77,638 sales at the end of November, Mitsubishi is aiming to topple its existing high-water mark of 81,651 sales set in 1998, back when it was a local manufacturer and the Magna passenger car was its flagship.

Nowadays Mitsubishi is an SUV and pick-up specialist and its biggest seller is the Triton one-tonne ute, which will be overhauled early in 2019.

The aged Lancer small car will finally drop out of its line-up within months, leaving the Mirage micro-car as the only passenger car in its line-up.

Mitsubishi has launched Black Editions previously including the ASX, Triton and Lancer, while other brands from Nissan to Rolls-Royce also use this marketing ploy.

The limited-editions rolling out now are based on the Eclipse Cross ES, Outlander medium SUV and Pajero Sport GLS seven-seat SUV. A Mirage Black Edition will arrive in the first quarter of 2019.

While unwilling to talk specific prices, Mitsubishi has indicated surcharges will be minor or non-existent.

While almost all Black Edition extras are cosmetic including items like black alloy wheels, the Eclipse Cross and Outlander both add a smart key with one-touch start and parking sensors – front and rear for the former and rear for the latter.

The MY19 Eclipse Cross update includes two-wheel drive torque vectoring, acoustic glass to lower cabin noise and power window switch illumination.