PARIS — Mitsubishi is beefing up its lineup of sport sedans and hatches for Europe, with the rollout of the new Lancer Sportback and Colt Ralliart at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.
The Lancer Sportback, previewed earlier as the Lancer Prototype-S and the Concept-Sportback, is aimed primarily at the European market, where five-door hatchbacks are most popular. Mitsubishi will fit two four-cylinder engines, a 141-horsepower 1.8-liter gasoline and a 138-hp 2.0-liter diesel, as well as a choice of five- and six-speed manual gearboxes, a four-speed automatic and a stepped six-speed continuously variable transmission.
True to its name, the Sportback also gets a retuned chassis, with thicker stabilizer bars, stiffer springs and shocks, beefed-up brakes and 215/45R18 tires.
In Paris, Mitsubishi also is showing the redesigned Colt compact, including a sporty Colt Ralliart in three- and five-door variants, powered by a 148-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter engine.
What this means to you: Mitsubishi wants to show the world — or at least the Europeans — that it's alive and kicking. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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