2020 Mitsubishi Cars: Eclipse and Xpander

Mitsubishi! Heard of it? Yeah they haven’t exactly being setting the new benchmarks in sales or introducing radical cars like did eons ago. But they are sort of back. After the launch of the new 2018 Outlander yesterday, the brand finally has two products in their range. The Mitsubishi Outlander and the Pajero Sport make up the line-up. But wait, that’s not it. Mitsubishi has announced that they are ready to actively participate and enter the market once again with two more exciting products. 2 new SUVs. Yes the 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse and Xpander.

Now we know what you are thinking. Where has the coolness, rally breed monsters and the radical awesomeness gone? Mitsubishi India in the past has sold a selection of products in the past including the Cedia Sports, Lancer and Evo X sedans.

But now, the company has put the focus on SUVs on a globally. As a matter of fact, the Lancer Evo marquee is going to make a comeback with crossover model in the future. Surprised? Don’t be. SUVs are the bread winners for many manufactures and Mitsubishi is moving with the times. For India too, the strategy remains the same and Mitsubishi will be concentrating its efforts to make a dent in the SUV market.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Mitsubishi Xpander, are both set to make their debut by 2020. What are these cars and why do you need to know about them? Let’s find out.

2020 Mitsubishi Xpander

Both the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Xpander were globally unveiled last year and are MUVs. The Mitsubishi Xpander is an SUV-styled long MUV. This is going to square off with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga with its butch and angular appearance. This makes it actually an MPV; the Xpander is a seven-seater model and is equipped with LED headlamps, LED taillights, touchscreen infotainment system, 16-inch alloy wheels and more. The ground clearance is a healthy 205 mm, which is quite apt for a market like India.

Power on the Mitsubishi Xpander comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine tuned with 103bhp and is mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. We hope these automatic transmissions become better in the next two years.

Also Read: What is Mahindra planning with Ford?

2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is the automaker’s most successful nameplate in recent times and the all-new version made its global debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2017. With a futuristic styling and compact proportions, the Eclipse Cross will be a Jeep Compass and Hyundai Creta rival. It will come with a host of features including a panoramic sunroof, 7-inch infotainment display with a touchpad controller, Head-Up Display (HUD), Mitsubishi Connect and a lot more. Internationally, the Eclipse is also equipped with heated rear seats. we hope such features make it to India but in a hot country like ours, nobody will use them. Power on the Eclipse comes from a 1.5-litre direct-injection, turbocharged petrol engine with 149bhp and 249Nm of peak torque. The SUV gets an automatic transmission with S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) system, and three driving modes.

Both these new cars according to Mitsubishi’s Uttam Bose will be made available post 2020. Right now the company wants to fix dealership issues, improve the localization of materials and parts and expand to create more dealerships and service stations. The other main focus of the company is for the success  of the Outlander.