New-look Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross teased

The 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will bring a new look and more tech including plug-in hybrid power for the first time when the upgraded small SUV arrives in Australia by the end of this year.

Revealed via a darkened side-profile teaser shot first the first time globally this afternoon, the facelifted Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will be differentiated by a dynamic new headlight design that flows back into the bonnet.

It is expected to be revealed in full next month and then launched in Australia around November, while the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version will likely follow it Down Under several months later and well into 2021.

Like its bigger brother, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the Eclipse Cross PHEV should offer around 50km of pure EV driving.

Together with “radically changed” front and rear designs, the new model will deliver “a more upscale and energetic design to complement the sleek SUV styling”, said Mitsubishi.

Mitsubishi will also upgrade the small SUV’s interior with expected improvements for the infotainment system along with enhanced convenience features, while more safety features are likely to be added.

It’s not known whether the current vehicle’s 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine (110kW/250Nm) will be carried over as is or tweaked for a few extra herbs and/or improved fuel efficiency.

The 2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is the first vehicle design to emerge under the guidance of the Japanese brand’s new design boss, Seiji Watanabe.

“The new design draws inspiration from the Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept, emphasising the strength and dynamics from our SUV heritage, while enhancing the cleanliness and elegance of a coupe-like SUV,” said Watanabe.

“The Eclipse Cross is the first step toward the next-generation of Mitsubishi Design, and there is so much more to come,” he added.

Installed in April 2020, the chief designer’s second major design will be the next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander. Originally set for its world debut in July, the all-new mid-size SUV will now arrive here later in 2021 after its global premiere early next year.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is currently in run-out and its sales have slid more than any other vehicle in the Japanese brand’s range so far this year, but the new model should see it bounce back as interest for the new model increases.

The other important SUV in Mitsubishi’s line-up, the ASX – Australia’s top-selling small SUV – was updated in late 2019 and is set to soldier on until 2022.

At this point the Mitsubishi ASX is expected to get the same underpinnings as the Nissan JUKE and bold design like the upcoming Outlander and Eclipse Cross models.