The original Mitsubishi Eclipse was released in 1989 and the first two generations of the sports car were developed during the Japanese company’s close relationship with the Chrysler Corporation. The third generation model also shares its platform with products from the American company and it was only in the last fourth generation that a proprietary architecture was introduced. The Eclipse MK4 launched in 2005 and remained in production until 2011 when the nameplate was discontinued.
Mitsubishi is now part of a huge conglomerate, which also includes Nissan, Renault and other brands. With the current level of platform sharing within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, it’s no surprise that Mitsubishi was granted access to Nissan’s RWD platform, which underpins the new Nissan Z. With this in mind, our colleagues and friends at Kolesa.ru resulting in the exclusive rendering you see attached below, previewing a potential fifth generation Eclipse.
Obviously, the digital image is based on the new Z sports car. However, this looks to be more than just badge engineering as the front fascia now features a completely new design. The headlamps and grille appear to be inspired by the recently launched Mitsubishi XFC concept. The rear with T-shaped taillights shares more components with the crossover prototype, but we have to admit that the cluster looks good in the sports coupe.
Speaking of crossovers, it’s worth mentioning that Mitsubishi revived the Eclipse name with the Eclipse Cross crossover taking a position between the Outlander and Outlander Sport in the company’s portfolio. However, the car had nothing in common with the Eclipse coupe and was not even produced in the United States.
Back to the rendering attached above, Kolesa.ru envision a resurrected Eclipse potentially using an electric powertrain. Alternatively, it could feature a modified version of Nissan’s 3.0-liter turbo V6 engine from the Nissan Z, mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Of course, this is all just speculation.
