Long dormant in North America, Mitsubishi Motors is suddenly alive and kicking. In the past several weeks, the company announced plans to add a new SUV and pickup truck to its lineup and is back with another new offering - the all-electric 2027 Eclipse Sportback.The company released the first pictures of its new EV, expected to arrive in "the second half of this year," officials noted. If you look at it and think it looks familiar, it's because it's based off the Nissan Leaf. Mitsubishi is continuing to leverage its relationship with also-struggling Nissan to try to regain some sort of market presence in the U.S.Now the Eclipse Sportback will be differentiated from the new Leaf with a slew of cosmetic changes, including entirely different front and rear fascias. Mitsubishi officials declined to offer any preliminary pricing information.AdvertisementAdvertisementMitsubishi isn't new to EVs, as it's been developing fully electric vehicles in Japan since the 1970s. The world's first mass-produced electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, went on sale in select markets in 2009, and arrived in the U.S. and Canada in late 2011. A year later, the Outlander PHEV, the world's first plug-in hybrid SUV, was introduced globally, arriving in North America in 2018.Offering a mainstream EV is part of the brand's Momentum 2030 business plan, which features a path to electrification as one of its four key pillars, officials noted. The others include: a renewed and expanded product lineup, a modernized retail sales model, and a strengthened partnership with the dealer network. Mitsubishi's plans call for a new or significantly updated vehicle annually until 2020. The Eclipse Sportback isn't the only new offering come for 2027, according to the company. A new, rugged off-road derivative of the Outlander SUV is expected to arrive early next year. The company is also adding the aforementioned pickup, which will borrow from the Nissan Frontier, and the offering that got many off-road fans excited, the new Pajero. AdvertisementAdvertisement"In addition to the 'Pajero' to be launched this year as a model that embodies the DNA of Mitsubishi Motors-ness, we will introduce additional new models going forward as part of the 'Pajero' series," said Mitsubishi CEO Kato last month. Since the new "Pajero" series will adopt the ladder frame from its current Triton pickup, that means a new midsize pickup is coming to the U.S. as well.[Images: Mitsubishi Motors]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
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