Two years ago, Momentum 2030 was little more than a promise for Mitsubishi — one new or significantly updated model in the US every year. By August 2026, that promise has started turning into actual machines. The Eclipse Sportback EV leads the charge, an off-road version of the Outlander joins it in early 2027, and the next big step is a mid-size pickup Mitsubishi is developing together with Nissan.
“Stories like ‘will Mitsubishi stick around in the US?’ are old and tired, and we don’t want to hear them anymore. The decision has been made. We’re here. We’re very proud of who we are, where we’re headed, and we have a strong plan to get there,” Mitsubishi Motors North America’s senior director of communications Jeremy Barnes told Edmunds.
The first real test of that plan is almost here. The Eclipse Sportback EV is built on the new Nissan Leaf and is set to hit US and Canadian markets in the second half of 2026. Mitsubishi officially points to late summer or early fall for the sales start; Edmunds pins it to October. Next, in early 2027, comes the more rugged, off-road version of the Outlander.
Beyond that, certainty drops off fast. The pickup project with Nissan is confirmed by Mitsubishi itself — and that’s about it. The platform and exact timing haven’t been named yet. Edmunds expects a body-on-frame model sometime after spring 2027 and thinks a link to the next-generation Frontier is likely. Another SUV, per the outlet, is also planned for the US, though its name and architecture remain unannounced.
The Montero theory gained extra footing after the Pajero’s return: Mitsubishi has already officially announced the world premiere of a new body-on-frame SUV for fall 2026. It rides on the Triton pickup’s architecture, and the Montero name has traditionally been used for the Pajero in some markets. That, however, is not confirmation the model will actually go on sale in America.
There’s already a measurable result from the overhaul, too. In the second quarter of 2026, Mitsubishi sold 23,127 vehicles in the US — up almost 5% year over year, with the Outlander up 21.5%. On July 30, the brand opened its first American location in the new Gallery format — another piece of Momentum 2030 meant to expand the brand’s footprint without a classic full-size dealership.
The Nissan connection, meanwhile, is turning from an exception into an acceleration tool. The Eclipse Sportback is already an OEM model from Nissan, the pickup project is confirmed by both sides, and Mitsubishi itself says alliances should complement its lineup. Barnes puts it this way: “Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi will work together on shared engineering programs where and when it makes sense for all the brands.”
The strategy’s next real test comes before the pickup even arrives: Mitsubishi has to launch the Eclipse Sportback EV, then the off-road Outlander. Only after that will it become clear which of the remaining slots in its nearly doubled lineup go to Mitsubishi’s own models — and which go to joint projects with Nissan.
