Dying a slow death are affordable driver-oriented sports coupes and what replaces them are bulky, high-riding crossovers that sacrilegiously bear their name but a future Mitsubishi Eclipse could be on the cards and these renders paint a very pretty picture.
For full disclosure, none of the following is for certain but there is a small probability that it could actually happen. Essentially, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance exists for cross-collaboration and platform sharing. We have seen this with the Renault Captur and badge-engineered Mitsubishi ASX for example and while crossovers and SUVs are the bread and butter for automakers, many enthusiasts long for the coupe segment to grow into what was once a flourishing market.
Related: The brand-new Mitsubishi ASX looks familiar, but will it come to SA?
Nissan has long since been a purveyor of coupes and two-door sports cars. Of course, we have the venerable GT-R, 370Z and of recently the Fairlady Z reboot of the iconic 80s sports car. So what if the two Japanese brands collaborated together for a future Mitsubishi Eclipse with their latest Alliance.
The rear-wheel-drive low-slung platform of the Nissan Z could be repurposed for use by Mitsubishi. Of course, with electrification looming this would have to be relatively soon in order to justify several years of sale before the transition into the alternative form of propulsion.
Artists Nikita Chuiko published his iteration of what a future Mitsubishi Eclipse could be on Kolesa.ru. Proportionally, the renderings use the platform of the Nissan Z although the styling harkens back to Mitsubishi, particularly the XFC concept.
Both front and rear share stylistic similarities to the futuristic SUV concept with an overall package and silhouette that brings joy to the hearts of automobile aficionados. South Africa has not received the Nissan Z but the model is powered by a 3,0-litre VR30DDTT twin-turbo V6 which is good for 298 kW and 475 N.m.
