(Tue 14 Nov 06)

Mitsubishi will reveal its latest-generation Lancer at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January. Ninety years after Mitsubishi built its first car, the new Lancer is the first model to be based on the same platform for all world markets.

The version to be displayed at Detroit will be a four-door saloon, since this is expected to be the top-selling body style worldwide, though other types will also be available. The Lancer will go on sale first of all in North America next spring, and will filter through to other markets later in the year.

A wide range of engines will be available. In Europe, the entry-level unit will be a 109bhp 1.5-litre petrol, while the Evo (yes, there's going to be an Evo) will, as now, use a two-litre petrol turbo. European customers will also be able to specify diesel engines.

Some of these units will be part of the new World Engine family, developed jointly with DaimlerChrysler and Hyundai. In fact, sharing technology with other manufacturers is something of a Mitsubishi speciality these days. The company already buys in diesel engines from Volkswagen, and the Project Global platform itself is a co-production involving DaimlerChrysler (again) and PSA Peugeot Citroen.

We've already seen signs of this. The recently-announced new SUVs from both Peugeot and Citroen were both developed alongside the second-generation Mitsubishi Outlander, and all of them use the same Project Global platform as the Lancer.

Mitsubishi Gallery
Mitsubishi Road Tests

Previous: Hydrogen BMW Starts Production                                                     Next: Citroen Reveals New Dispatch

Back to News index