Mitsubishi today announced plans to unveil the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer at the Detroit auto show in January. Designed at Mitsubishi Motors studios in Europe and Japan, the Lancer sports sedan shares a design language with the popular 2005 Concept-X and Concept-Sportback show cars.
As previously reported, the Lancer will first be launched in North America in Spring 2007, then six months later in Japan and other markets. Mitsubishi says engine offerings will range from a 1.5 litre 110 horsepower base powerplant for Europe, to a high-performance Lancer Evolution model, including diesel power (Europe), a high performance 2.0 litre turbo gasoline version and other variants.
Mitsubishi has released an initial sketch of the 2008 Lancer, which appears to be a direct derivative of the Concept X, with some changes to the front fascia. It’s unclear if Mitsubishi has also changed the shape of the rear doors and roofline, or if these discrepancies are due to exaggeration in the artist’s sketch. Full image after the jump…
