Mitsubishi Colt
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It seems Mitsubishi has been in limbo for many years now. A long-term association with Renault might come to an end. A new one with Honda might start. Things have been up in the air for a long time without many new models for too long…
I think one of the things they need is a new Colt. A really cool and modern one that is the true successor to the original model from the 1970s. The one that basically put them on the map.
The Colt hatchback was sold in the US by Chrysler under the Dodge and Plymouth brands for a few years. A 5 door model was added in 1982.
Later versions of the Colt were sold through actual Mitsubishi dealers. And over there years, the design was diluted and never as interesting as that first generation. At least in my non-professional opinion.
While we haven’t seen a Colt in the US for decades, it still exists in other countries. However, it is quite a sad thing these days. A very lazy rebadge of a 5th generation Renault Clio. A car that came out in 2019.
So yes, I think a really modern small, and affordable EV would be a great way for the Colt to make a comeback. The existing partnership with Nissan could help a new Colt by getting tech from the upcoming all-new Nissan Leaf. A smaller and more affordable model than the Leaf.
Of course, they are working on a new SUV. As well as a brand new off-road van, which could be very nice. But there is a market for an affordable small EV. VW has been hard at work on one and many others are probably doing the same.
Mitsubishi was one of those companies that was way ahead in electrification development. Unfortunately, they created the MiEV which was a tiny car due to the constraints of battery charge density of the time. I’d sure like to see them rid themselves of the stench of Renault, who has NOT been a good partner to them. Renault has starved both of the Japanese companies, starting back when Carlos Ghosn negotiated that lop-sided “alliance”, and everything flowed in one direction. All the tech IP and development money went to Renault, who controlled all further development of their own product line, and the Japanese companies were allowed to have a copy. What they got was decontented versions of the Clio (Versa), the Qashqai (Rogue Sport), and Renaults cr@p engines and their pathetic small commercial trucks. Meanwhile, everything else rotted on the vine with multiple facelifts but no new products until Japan and France started prosecution of Carlos Ghosn and Japan started to push back on the unusual “alliance” with Renault. The Ministry hadn’t approved the sale of Nissan without conditions, to keep jobs and focus in Japan. But what happened didn’t meet the conditions for sale. Renault/Ghosn knew this when they wanted to purchase Mitsubishi, so Ghosn and Renaults officers planted within Nissan’s leadership arranged for money to flow from Nissan to purchase Mitsubishi (which Renault would also control). Its a very tangled web of deception. Let’s hope Nissan gets free of Renault. Then, Mitsubishi should also be free and something great could come of it – like a new Colt.