How these Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEVs originally destined for NZ have ended up in Australia

2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Sport, equivalent to Australia's GSR (Source: Brendan Foot Mitsubishi, New Zealand).

A number of 2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) originally destined for New Zealand will soon become available on the Australian second-hand market.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia has confirmed some examples of the Eclipse Cross PHEV initially planned for sale in New Zealand – believed to be built in late 2023 and early 2024 – were diverted to Australia for use as lease vehicles at its head office in Adelaide.

While they are New Zealand-specification vehicles, the cars meet the same compliance requirements as the Australian models – including a top-tether child-seat anchor point for the rear-centre seat needed to sell a car with five seats in Australia – and can be legally driven on Australian roads.

A Mitsubishi Motors Australia spokesperson told Drive the vehicles "will be disposed of post lease into the second-hand market", which has required the brand to report the previously-unseen 2023 and 2024 models in databases such as Redbook and the Federal Government's Green Vehicle Guide.

"These vehicles are units that were originally intended for the NZ market, and had slightly different equipment levels to Australian-spec vehicles," the spokesperson said.

"We acquired these PHEVs for use as [Mitsubishi Motors Australia] lease vehicles as part of our ongoing sustainability initiatives, as NZ market conditions cooled and they were oversupplied."

"They are not on sale to the general public as a new vehicle but will be disposed of post lease into the second-hand market, hence the need to have them reported in the Redbook and Green Vehicle Guide."

Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle sales plummeted in New Zealand in 2024, with the current government elected in October 2023 removing the former government's Clean Car Discount scheme, and introducing a road-user charge for EVs and PHEVs from March 31, 2024.

Similar to Victoria's former road-user charge – removed in October 2023 after the High Court of Australia declared the tax unconstitutional – PHEV owners in New Zealand must 'double-dip' with taxes on any fuel purchased, and the distance they travel.

While the Eclipse Cross PHEV is normally available in ES, Aspire and Exceed grades in Australia, the New Zealand-spec versions are referred to by Mitsubishi Motors Australia as the XLS, GSR and XLS Plus.

They were originally called XLS, Sport and VRX, respectively, by Mitsubishi New Zealand.

When new, recommended retail pricing for the Eclipse Cross PHEV XLS in Australia was $49,290 before on-road costs, up $1540 over the ES, $52,240 for the GSR, up $500 over the Aspire, and $55,240 for the XLS Plus, down $1250 over the Exceed.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia has not confirmed how many Eclipse Cross PHEVs originally intended for New Zealand were sent to Australia.

Production of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross petrol and PHEV ended for Australia in December 2024 as it does not meet the requirements of new AEB laws introduced on March 1, 2025, but the brand says it will have enough stock to last until the end of the year.

The Eclipse Cross will remain on sale in New Zealand and other markets, such as Japan.

An electric successor to the Eclipse Cross, heavily based on the Renault Scenic E-Tech, will be unveiled for Europe in September and is under consideration for Australia.

• PHEV ES AWD – $47,790
• PHEV XLS AWD – $49,240
• PHEV Aspire AWD – $51,740
• PHEV GSR AWD – $52,240
• PHEV XLS Plus AWD – $55,240
• PHEV Exceed AWD – $56,490

Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs, and specifications in bold will not be on sale to the general public as a new vehicle.

• 2.4-litre plug-in hybrid system 
• Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive
• 13.8kWh lithium-ion battery
• 55-kilometre electric-only driving range rating
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 8-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Six-speaker audio system
• Front USB-A connections, and rear USB-A and USB-C charge ports
• Keyless entry and push-button start
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster display
• Cloth and synthetic leather upholstery
• Dual-zone climate control
• Heated front seats
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• Manual-adjustable passenger seat
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• LED headlights
• LED fog lamps
• Black roof rails
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Low-speed pedestrian warning sound
• Autonomous emergency braking 
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning
• Lane change assist
• Adaptive cruise control

Compared to the ES, the XLS gained blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, automatic high-beam, adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, two additional speakers, LED headlights, front fog lamps, and heated front seats. 

• 18-inch black alloy wheels
• Blackout styling package
• Dual sunroof
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Hands-free electric tailgate

Compared to the Aspire, the GSR is believed to have gained a blackout styling package, a hands-free electric tailgate, a dual sunroof, and a heated steering wheel and rear outboard seats, but lost two speakers, a 360-degree camera, a 1500-watt power outlet, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Exact specifications may differ.

• Black leather upholstery
• 360-degree camera
• Dual sunroof
• Heated front and rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Power-adjustable passenger seat
• Black headlining
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Flip-up head-up display
• Hands-free electric tailgate
• 1500-watt power outlet
• Gloss-black exterior trim
• Auto up/down for all windows

Compared to the Exceed, the XLS Plus lost two speakers and built-in satellite navigation.

Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.

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