
The partnership with Renault-Nissan is signed and sealed and the new Eclipse Cross SUV is hitting the showrooms signalling the first of a new generation of cars from the Japanese company, which reached its centenary last year.
The alliance would seem to be the perfect marriage: Mitsubishi is big on all wheel drive - it built its first 4x4 in 1936 - and so is Nissan, and it has had huge success with the plug-in hybrid Outlander which dovetails nicely with Renault's expertise in electric cars.
Moreover it looks sharp, its designer prized away from Nissan and he has gone for the coupé look with a rising beltline and eye catching split glass tailgate.

The competition is frightening, Nissan Qashqai, Peugeot 3008, Seat Ateca, Renault Kadjar and more, so Mitsubishi has delivered its 'best ever' interior for Eclipse Cross and it needed to be. Soft plastics are better than we have seen in the past and the horizontal layout - information above, operation below, works well with many functions sourced through a 7in touchsreen.
But what do you make of this? There is no built in satellite navigation, instead Mitsubishi has taken a leap of faith relying on owners linking their smart phones to the command centre and using apps including Google Maps for directions.
It is all based on the fact that more than 80 per cent of the UK population have a smart phone - but can we all use them well enough? Probably best to have a young brain on board at all times!

There are two- and four-wheel drive options, the latter a comprehensive system with drive modes that automatically adapt to the road surface.
Power comes from a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an option of six-speed manual or eight-speed CVT automatic with paddle shifters and it is the auto where nearly 70 per cent of the initial sales have gone. It is quicker and cleaner than the manual and would be my choice as well.
Eclipse Sport comes in three trim levels - 2,3 and 4 - with two-wheel drive manual and automatic, and automatic only for the four-wheel drive. The prediction is that the majority of buyers will go for levels 2 or three and all wheel drive.
Level 2 (£21,275) is not short on kit if that is all the budget will stretch to but go up a grade (£22,575) and the goodies list stretches to heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start and head up display, a feature I think should be standard on all cars.
Eclipse Cross is the best Mitsubishi I have driven in nearly 40 years as a motoring writer and has been given a significant boost with a 48 per cent trade in value after three years.
Will Eclipse Cross have rivals heading for the hills? Not with one engine option it won't.
Performance is one thing but so too is economy, particularly for towing, and that is what's lacking. There are hints of a diesel engine at the end of the year. It can't come soon enough.
Facts
Eclipse Cross 4 Auto 4WD
Engine: 1.5 turbo; 163bhp
0-62mph 9.8secs; 124mph
Economy: 40.4mpg combined
Emissions: 159g/km. Road tax £140
Insurance group 21
Price: £27,900
By Steve Rogers
Previously published on Welsh News Extra, Wales Express, and Welsh Icons.