As part of the company’s Step Up 2010 mid-term business plan announced at the end of February, China will become one of Mitsubishi’s focus markets. As such, Mitsubishi on Tuesday announced it will launch six new models into the quickly growing market in the next three years, including three built in China. The headliner and the first of the six new vehicles will be the company’s performance flagship, the Lancer Evolution, one of 13 models Mitsubishi will have on display at the Beijing International Motor Show starting next week.

With the China launch, Mitsubishi will have all the major markets covered with the latest Evolution, as the high-performance AWD sedan is already sold in the home market of Japan, as well as Europe, North America and Australia.

Three high-volume vehicles will be assembled in China, including the Pajero SUV, Galant mid-size sedan and Lancer X-Speed. The Galant is based on the North American Galant, with unique detail changes inside and out, but is powered by the same 2.4-liter inline four that makes 160 horsepower in the U.S.

It and the Lancer X-Speed, which sounds basically like a dressed up, FWD, non-turbo Lancer sedan aimed at a younger demographic, will be built at South East Motor in China’s Fujian Province. Mitsubishi Motors holds a 25 percent stake in the plant along with China Motor Corp, with Fujian Automotive Industry Group owning 50 percent.

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