After Mitsubishi broke the wraps on its upcoming Lancer Sportback last week, the automaker officially unveiled the high-capacity variant of its Lancer sedan at the Paris Motor Show. Based on the Prototype S, the rakish Lancer Sportback will vie in the highly competitive hatchback market in Europe.
The production car will join the new Lancer Sedan and Lancer Evolution, but probably only at European dealerships. Mitsubishi hasn’t officially announced that the Sportback will be for Euro consumption only, but there have been rumors this will be the case and we couldn’t confirm otherwise at the Paris Motor Show.
Customers can chose between a 108-horsepower 1.5 liter or 141-horsepower 1.8 liter gasoline engine. A 138 horsepower 2.0 liter disel will also be available. The series is due to be joined by a model powered by Mitsubishi Motors’ new diesel engine in the spring of 2009.
The Sportback Ralliart is powered by the same 235 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-four found in the Lancer Ralliart sedan, first shown at the Detroit Auto Show. That power is sent to all four wheels via Mitsubishi’s Twin Clutch SST transmission. The car also uses Mitsubishi’s Active Center Differential to split power between the front and rear wheels. High-performance brakes also improve overall performance.
10/03, 9:38 AM
posted by:
Civic Spelled Backwards
Still no word on a US Release. hmmm… Mitsu would be crazy not to sell it here.
10/03, 11:28 AM
posted by:
tastyorange
well according to all automotive writers and marketing experts, Americans loathe hatchbacks…
except for Versas, Minis, Matrix, Vibes, 3’s, Imprezas
10/03, 11:32 AM
posted by:
A4
i love this car… except the taillights
why cant mitsubishi ever get production taillights right? they look so cheap.
10/03, 12:21 PM
posted by:
DrFill
Not half as funky as the concept from 2 years ago
Pretty lame, actually
DrFill
10/03, 1:13 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
We’ll never see it. Since the Lancer is about the only model keeping them afloat on these shores it would make far too much sense to bring this over to further bolster the line. This is Mitsubishi we’re talking about.
10/03, 3:36 PM
posted by:
oakley198877
for a hatchback, this car looks better than STI, period!
10/04, 2:04 AM
posted by:
sharpie
What’s with the front overhang?
10/04, 5:05 PM
posted by:
metalshine91
I think this car looks rather ugly. I love the new Lancer Sedan design but this hatchback thing is weird looking. In my opinion, Mitsubishi has effectively turned the coolest and most aggressive-looking Japanese car on the market right now into a jellybean.
11/12, 6:48 PM
posted by:
bargyboots
the ad for it on tv is pretty cool
does anyone know the name of the song and who the band is?