Japan twin – New Mitsubishi Colt: As Renaultbishi to success

Mitsubishi was almost gone from Europe. With their new compact car announced for the fall, the Japanese are again making claims in one of their traditionally strongest segments – the new Mitsubishi Colt.

The Mitsubishi Colt is one of the longest-serving small car series in the world. The first generation came onto the market in Japan as early as 1962, followed by eight further editions. In 2014, the Japanese stopped selling the Colt, and the Space Star microcar was launched as its successor. Until the beginning of the year, the inexpensive five-door was one of the only two remaining models from the brand, along with the crossover Eclipse Cross. The self-imposed downsizing resulted from Mitsubishi’s planned slow withdrawal from Europe, which was abandoned in 2021. Since then, the brand has been working on its comeback – and is getting help from its alliance partner Renault. The second “Renaultbishi” was already launched in the spring. Mitsubishi had essentially only changed the logo, streamlined the list of options and garnished the tried-and-tested Renault package with its five-year guarantee. It’s similar now with the Colt, which – clearly visible – is actually a Renault Clio. It recently received a major facelift, which the Mitsubishi also replicates. In order to set it apart from the prototype at least visually, it has at least one independent radiator grille graphic in addition to the diamond logos. There are no differences in terms of technology and drive, however. The Colt gets the same engines as the Clio, starting with a 67 hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which is also available in a turbo version with 91 hp. The third option is a 143 hp full hybrid based on a 1.6-liter four-cylinder combined with two electric motors. The electrically supported petrol engine takes on the role of both the economy engine and that of the powerful travel engine; there is no diesel in this country. Always well equipped When it comes to equipment and assistants, the Colt relies on the Clio’s convincingly full package for this class, but tends to pack a little more than its French cousin. The basic variant reserved for the weakest petrol engine includes cruise control, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and an emergency brake assistant with bicycle recognition on board. There is also air conditioning, heated exterior mirrors and LED headlights, which are now becoming more and more standard. In addition to the entry-level model, there are only two other variants: “Plus” with comfort ingredients such as a reversing camera and heated steering wheel, and “Top” with small car luxury such as a sound system and 360-degree camera. In addition, only the body color and accessories, such as a trailer hitch, can be selected. Mitsubishi does not name prices for the Colt, which will be available from October, but it can be heard that, adjusted for equipment, it will be at a similar level to the Renault Clio, which is currently from good €18,000 is available. The rebuilding of the brand portfolio did not end with the launch of the Clio. The European comeback of the mid-range SUV Outlander has been announced for the coming year, and the brand’s first purely electric car will then start in 2025. The technical basis for this will then be supplied by alliance partner Renault, and Mitsubishi wants to stand out from the French models in terms of appearance and positioning at the latest. (SPX)
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