Some could view the Mitsubishi brand as a problem child, being stuck in a kerfuffle as it tries to shift its lineup to meet the overwhelming demand for crossovers and SUVs. It was initially planning to hit the 100,000 sales mark here in the U.S. for 2016, but the financial year – which ends in March of 2017 – will be the first time in eight years that the brand has posted a loss. That suspected loss, which could amount to as much as ¥205 billion (about $2 million) can be attributed to the brand getting caught in its own scandal. But, that’s not the only reason. Over the years, it has let down fans that prefer sporty cars over SUVs, with the Eclipse being killed off after 2012 and the Lancer soldiering on virtually unchanged and underpowered for a decade, just to be killed off before the start of 2018. With its focus consistently on SUV’s, it should come as no surprise that the brand is set to debut a new compact SUV that will slot between the Outlander and Outlander Sport. For now, little is known about the new SUV but will go into production in Fall of 2017, could use a shortened version of the Outlander’s platform, and should borrow some design cues from the Mitsubishi eX Concept and 2013 XR-PHEV Concept.
But, that’s not all, as the rumor mill has been going getting pretty active now that Mitsubishi has released its first teaser image. And, sadly, those rumors are suggesting that the new SUV will actually be called “Eclipse,” a move that would prove better than using a random series of letters and numbers, but would piss off a good chunk of the brands hardcore fans that know the Eclipse as a sporty coupe, not another SUV in a market that’s already highly overpopulated. That potential name is all rumor at this point, however, so take it with a grain of salt – for all we know, Mitsubishi could come up with another take on the Outlander name and really throw us off.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. For now, all we have to go by is a teaser image and word from Mitsubishi that it will make its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show in March. So, let’s take a look at the teaser and talk a little more about what we can expect from Mitsubishi’s next SUV.
from Top Speed http://ift.tt/2juSyxV
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