Mitsubishi ‘shrinks’ the Xpander to get the eK X

ABU DHABI: The new design language adopted by Mitsubishi is rather bold, take for example the new Xpander. Well, it seems like they are on a roll and have taken the design language to a Kei car called the eK X.

What you get is the familiar slim lights up top, and big lights lower down on one of the smallest cars possible. The new eK X (pronounced eK cross) is a city car and comes out of the Nissan and Mitsubishi alliance to build Kei cars together. At the front, the design resembles a mixture of the Xpander and Delica D:5, while on the back you have high-mounted taillights. The ever-trendy floating roof design is also present with blacked-out pillars to complete the look. The overall design can be summarized as a tall shrunken MPV, but somewhat slab-sided.

Hop inside and you get a rather interesting dash design, with a ‘floating’ look providing more leg room. It employs a slight U-shape with a differently positioned gear lever and climate control buttons. A touchscreen infotainment system is also available. Overall, the interiors are utilitarian with fabric seats and lots of plastic being used. Due to its small size, the little Mitsubishi can only accommodate four passengers.

No official specifications have been released, but the eK X does conform to Kei car rules. What this means is that it cannot exceed 3400 mm in length, 1480 mm in width, and 2000 mm in height. It will most likely be powered by a 660 cc turbocharged 3-cylinder engine making 63 PS. This is the limit for Kei car regulations. You can get the little eK X in a variety of 2-tone color jobs including red/black and eye-catching yellow/white.

The end of this month will reveal more information, but this little car will not arrive in the UAE. It’s great to see manufacturers employ bold designs to even their smallest cars and keeping their DNA present across all models, no matter the size.