Teases New Revival of Mitsubishi Colt as a Hybrid Option
In March 2023, Mitsubishi Motors finally gave us all a glimpse at what the automaker is working on. Called “Challenge 2025”, we got a lineup of 16 models Mitsubishi will be rolling out over the next five years, nine of which will be battery-electric models (BEVs). After the Alliance 2030 business plan announcement, it’s nice to see that Mitsubishi will be moving right along with the rest of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. One model in the mystery lineup did have a nameplate that we know all too well – the Mitsubishi Colt.
What?! Hold your horses, the famous sports car isn’t coming back the way we may have hoped. During our series, Mitsubishi Sports Cars from the Past, the Mitsubishi Colt was one of the last models we took a look at. Sharing the spotlight with the Mitsubishi Starion, the Mitsubishi Lancer, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Cold has a pretty good run. In fact, at one point, the Mitsubishi Colt snuck into the U.S. market under a different guise. A first year Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback, Chrysler entered into a joint venture with Mitsubishi Motors agreed to introduce the Colt into the North American market as the Dodge Colt in 1982 and the Plymouth Colt in 1983. Yeah, the Colt used to be a Dodge vehicle.
So why, may we ask, is the lovely Colt being brought back as a hybrid?! Not only that, but as an SUV or crossover? Fans were not happy to see the return of the sports car nameplate as a crossover, and although the Eclipse has had its share of success, sales seem to be hitting a tipping point. We want a sports car, Mitsubishi, and we want it now. Reviving Ralliart started a rumbling in the hearts of Mitsubishi sports fans, and appearance packages like the Mitsubishi Mirage Ralliart are not good enough. Mitsubishi Motors President Takao Kato did hint at the possibility of sports cars returning, stating that the company is planning to release as “many cars as possible that fans are waiting for.”
Ralliart is just the beginning, and with the Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart concept getting the greenlight for production, Ralliart-inspired vehicles could be on the way. After all, it’s the same group responsible for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Nevertheless, details about the power the new Mitsubishi Colt is packing are slim. For now, there are some things we can guess at. For one, the Mitsubishi Colt will be a rebadge of the Renault Clio hybrid to save Mitsubishi sales overseas in the European market. The powertrain options of the Clio are a turbocharged 1.0-liter gasoline engine able to generate 90 horsepower and a 1.6-liter hybrid able to generate 143 horsepower.
More details about the new Mitsubishi Colt crossover will be unveiled June 8, 2023. Mitsubishi Motors has claimed a fully digital cockpit and many comfort and safety features will pop up in the interior cabin of the new Colt. With software-defined vehicles (SDVs) starting to pop up around the industry and a Google operating system-powered future model thanks to the partnership between Google and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, we wonder how digital the automaker means.
We’ll know more in June. Follow along with us on University Mitsubishi social media.
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