All-New Clio-Based Mitsubishi Colt Unveiled: Warming Nippo-French Relations

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Following the success of the Mitsubishi ASX in Europe earlier this year, the Japanese carmaker is now reviving an iconic nameplate that will be familiar with many readers: the Colt.

Mitsubishi's once-popular hatchback makes a return to showrooms (for the European markets now, at least), now with a very French twist. Just like the ASX, it sits on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance CMF-B platform, and is heavily based on the Renault Clio.

The Colt will also be built on the same production line as its French counterpart, in Renault's Bursa facility in Turkey.

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Even the design is largely untouched, with only minor revisions being done to the front fascia to reflect the Japanese carmaker's Dynamic Shield design ethos.

It sports a striking array of LED lights, with daytime running lights dramatically running down the bumper. Running across its tailgate is a large Mitsubishi script, replacing the brand's famed Three-Diamond emblem.

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Mitsubishi will offer two powertrain options for their new Colt: a petrol-hybrid (HEV) and a standard petrol version. The Colt HEV comes with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, two electric motors (an alternator-starter and a main motor), a multi-mode transmission, and a 1.2 kW battery.

The petrol-powered Colt, on the other hand, comes with two variants: a 1.0-litre turbocharged inline-three engine with a six-speed manual gearbox, and a 1.0-litre NA inline-three with a five-speed manual.

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Where in-cabin luxuries are concerned, the Colt is certainly not lacking.

Bells and whistles include a 7.0-inch or 9.3-inch display with Multi-Sense, which lets the driver choose the drive modes (My Sense, Sport, or Eco Mode), engine and steering response, and ambient lighting. The Colt will also come with a Bose premium sound system, and an active safety suite that includes Traffic Sign Recognition system (TSR) and Forward Collision Mitigation system (FCM).

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While there's no news yet on the Colt being exported to other markets like Singapore, we're very keen to see how it stacks up against other entry-level hatchbacks. 

And with the option of getting a good ol' manual transmission for the petrol version, this French-Japanese compact car will almost surely resonate with the traditional car enthusiast.

Photo Credits: Mitsubishi Motors

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1 Comment

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Doubt the Colt's long term reliability since it now has French blood.
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over 1 year ago