Mitsubishi Unveils New Concept-Global Small in Geneva, Previews Colt Replacement

The 81st Geneva Motor Show saw Mitsubishi taking the wraps off its new Concept-Global Small vehicle that will essentially lead to a replacement for the firm's Colt supermini. The troubled Japanese automaker said the actual production version will be revealed towards the end of this year, prior to a start of production scheduled for early 2012 at a new plant currently being built in Thailand, the company's third factory in the region.

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Mitsubishi CS Design Concept for a Sporty-Looking Colt Replacement by Gábor Farkas

What you see here is a very well executed and almost production ready-looking concept study penned as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Colt supermini, which was sent to Carscoop by independent designer Gábor Farkas. Called the Mitsubishi CS, the Ford Fiesta-sized concept model blends select styling cues from the Japanese brand's most recent models such as the Lancer's so-called shark nose with an aggressive body shape boasting curvalicious details. Read more »

New Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart with 1.5 Turbo Debuts Aside Colt Facelift

Thanks to a set of images that had made their way into the web ahead of the Paris Show, we knew what to expect from the facelift Colt. What we didn’t know is that Mitsubishi replaced the outgoing Colt CZT with a Ralliart version that will be available for the first time in Europe, in both three-door and five-door variant. All 2009 Colts get a new fascia with Mitsubishi’s shark-like grille along with a redesigned bumper and oddly shaped headlamps that bring it inline with the latest Mitsubishi models. -Continued

At the rear, the 3door version gets darker taillights and a new bumper while the 5door also features newly styled tailamps. New wheels complement the new exterior design, including dark finish dual 5-spokes for the two Ralliart variants.

Inside, changes for the 2009 models include a new instrument panel, redesigned controls for the a/c, a Lancer inspired steering wheel and a new graining for the black upper padding of the dashboard together with higher quality seat material.

In parallel to the existing petrol engines (1.1 / 75ps, 1.3 / 95ps, 1.5 / 109ps), Mitsubishi will introduce new “low CO2” variants of the facelifted Colt, under the name of “Clear Tec”. These variants will feature amongst other things, start and stop and regenerative braking technologies, leading to an improvement of over 10% in terms of CO2 emissions.

Despite its promising name, the Colt Ralliart has retained the basic features of the outgoing Colt CZT including the 150HP 1.5-liter turbo engine which is no match for its European counterparts like the new Seat Ibiza Cupra or the Renault Clio RS just to mention a few.

Mitsubishi claims that compared to the previous Colt CZT and in addition to a stronger structure, the Colt Ralliart suspension has been amended in eight different points for sharper driving dynamics, including reduced body roll thanks to a thicker front stabilizer bar.

Depending upon the market and except for the Clear Tec variants which will be introduced in 2009, the next generation Colt will be launched in Europe in October / November 2008.

Exclusive: First Official Images of facelifted Mitsubishi Colt

Turns out that the unidentified world premiere model that Mitsubishi was referring to in its Paris Show press release wasn’t a crossover version of the Lancer as initially thought but the facelifted Colt and these are the first official pictures of both the three and five-door versions of the Japanese supermini that will compete against the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris. The first thing anyone will notice on the 2009 Colt is the restyled front end that combines the Lancer’s trademark black grille with a new set of headlamps and a redesigned bumper. -Continued

Changes at the rear are limited to a restyled bumper and in the case of the 5door Colt, new tail lamps. For the time being, we are not aware of any other significant modifications but we’ll return with more details as soon as we find out. The revised Colt is expected to go on sale in Europe right after its Paris Show debut.

2009 Mitsubishi Colt Facelift Gets Lancer Nose Job – Premieres in Paris

The revised 2009 Mitsubishi Colt has been captured on film during a promotional photo shoot in Berlin, Germany. The main changes are to the front end that echoes the styling of the new Lancer Sedan and Sportback. Judging from the picture, Mitsubishi’s designers seem to have done a great job incorporating the shark-like nose to their subcompact hatchback that will compete in Europe against the new Ford Fiesta, Fiat Grande Punto, Toyota Yaris and others. Changes to the rear end are limited to the restyled bumper, and the darker tail lamps. -Continued

Our sources confirm the report from the scanned newspaper article that the facelifted Mitsubishi Colt will indeed make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October with sales in Europe set to begin shortly after.

Via: Autoweek-forum