- Mitsubishi has confirmed to dealers that it will launch a new EV in 2026.
- The model will likely be twinned with the electric crossover with which Nissan wants to replace the Leaf.
- It will be built on the same platform currently underpinning the Nissan Ariya and two Renault EVs.
Mitsubishi is working on its own version of the electric crossover that will replace the Nissan Leaf, according to a new report from Automotive News. Like the Leaf’s high-riding do-over, the new Mitsubishi EV will be a coupe crossover with a sloping roof and both will be built on the same AmpR Medium (formerly CMF-EV) platform as the Nissan Ariya, which also underpins the Renault Megane and Scenic E-Tech models.
The Nissan model (previewed by the 2021 Chill-Out concept) will arrive first, and we should see it in production clothes before the end of the year, according to Automotive News. The Mitsubishi EV will arrive in 2026. That’s also when it’s expected to go on sale in the U.S. Mitsubishi has so far only offered one EV here, the i-Miev, which sold just over 2,000 units between 2011 and 2016.
Mitsubishi expects much higher sales with the new model, which will be manufactured in Japan and exported globally. However, plans for the model could be affected by the Nissan-Honda merger, which Mitsubishi is considering opting out of, likely fearing that its voice won’t matter in a group where the shot callers are Nissan and Honda.
Even if it stays out of the merger, Mitsubishi will still remain linked to Nissan, continuing the exchange of platforms and know-how. In 2023, Mitsubishi announced its goal to sell 50% electric or electrified vehicles by 2030, aiming to get that up to 100% by 2035. Its plan included launching nine new electrified models by 2028, including two fully electric models made on common Alliance platforms, one in-house-developed two-row electric SUV and an electric truck.
The upcoming midsize electric pickup will be a collaborative effort between Nissan and Mitsubishi and will be manufactured in Mexico. The EV truck will have a Nissan twin, announced by the futuristic-looking Surf-Out concept. Mitsubishi hasn’t shown any electric pickup design studies recently, but you can get an idea of what it could be like by looking at the new Mitsubishi L200 / Triton launched last year.
Automotive News quotes Mitsubishi Motors North America CEO Mark Chaffin as saying the brand “is at a pivotal point in North America, charting a bold, clear and attainable plan for our future success in the United States.”
With the Mirage (which accounted for over 30% of Mitsubishi’s total sales in the U.S. in 2024) discontinued, there is room for a new small and affordable car in its lineup. Mitsubishi could use a model built on the Alliance’s CMF-B EV platform, currently used as the basis for the Renault 4 and 5 E-Tech, the upcoming Twingo E-Tech and an electric Nissan Micra. However, there are currently no known plans for such a model.
Mitsubishi did launch a small electric city car, the eK X EV, but that’s a tall, narrow and boxy kei car that’s primarily aimed at the Japanese market. You could look at it as a direct successor to the i-Miev, but that didn’t sell well in the U.S. over a decade ago, and its modern-day equivalent would also likely struggle to find buyers here.
The Nissan equivalent of the Mitsubishi upcoming crossover will likely look a lot like the Ariya but in a smaller form factor. One camouflaged prototype was recently spotted undergoing testing in California and its outline looks similar to the Ariya but a bit lower and sportier than its bigger brother.
