Could the Mitsubishi Lancer return as an electric Nissan Leaf twin?

Mitsubishi’s upcoming electric car could have a familiar name.

First reported by US publication Car and Driver [↗], a new ‘Lancer Sportback’ trademark was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in March.

While it’s possible Mitsubishi could simply be protecting the name, it could also hint at the revival of the Lancer.

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The Mitsubishi Lancer small car was available for four decades before it was axed in 2017 – but it could be resurrected as a twin to the next-generation Nissan Leaf electric car, which will become a coupe-shaped small SUV.

It wouldn’t be the first time Mitsubishi has reused a historic nameplate for a new SUV model, with the 2017-onwards Eclipse Cross sharing its name with the two-door sports car discontinued in 2011.

The Japanese brand also recently resurrected the Colt for a rebadged version of the Renault Clio city hatch sold in Europe and Airtrek for a now-dead Chinese electric SUV, while the Mitsubishi-based ASX was replaced by a rebadged Renault Captur in Europe.

A teaser image released by Mitsubishi last month shows a car with a similar footprint and lighting signature to a future Nissan vehicle shown in a separate presentation in March, likely to be the new Leaf.

Mitsubishi's US division confirmed it'll double its line-up by 2030 and launch a new battery-electric vehicle.

The new Nissan Leaf is tipped to be an evolution of the 2021 Chill-Out concept, based on a version of the dedicated Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance CMF-EV platform also found underneath the larger Ariya, forthcoming Micra hatch and some Renault electric vehicles.

In 2023, it was reported the third-generation Nissan Leaf would look like a “mini-Ariya” and offer a higher driving range of around 500 kilometres – 25 per cent more than the current hatchback.

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Production of the next Nissan Leaf is due to commence in 2026.

The Leaf will continue to be built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom, which will receive around £2bn (AU$3.8bn) in investment to build three new electric vehicles, including battery-powered versions of the next Juke and Qashqai.

It is unclear if Mitsubishi’s new electric car will be built in the United Kingdom on the same production line as the Nissan Leaf or if it’ll be made elsewhere, such as in Japan.