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Mitsubishi Colt Returning From the Dead Next Year With Renault Clio's Help

Mitsubishi has announced that it will re-enter the subcompact hatchback segment, after a 10-year hiatus, with a new product that will bear a very familiar moniker: the Colt.
2023 Mitsubishi Colt - Teaser 8 photos
Photo: Mitsubishi
2023 Mitsubishi Colt - TeaserRenault ClioRenault ClioRenault ClioMitsubishi ColtMitsubishi ColtMitsubishi Colt
Set to launch towards the end of 2023, AutoNews reports, it will take on the likes of Europe’s five-door superminis, such as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, and Hyundai i20, as well as its brother from another mother, the Renault Clio, with Renault-Nissan allowing Mitsubishi to use the CMF-B platform.

Otherwise shared with the second-gen Renault Captur and Nissan Juke as well, the architecture supports different powertrains. Nonetheless, the upcoming Mitsubishi Colt will only be offered with hybrid assemblies, the automaker said. In all likelihood, we are looking at the setup powering the Clio E-Tech, namely a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, assisted by an electric motor, with a second motor being the high-voltage starter generator.

Besides making the big announcement, confirming at the same time that the new Colt will be built at the Bursa factory in Turkey, and at Novo Mesto, in Slovenia, Mitsubishi has also dropped a teaser pic of the car. Right off the bat, it looks like a rebadged Renault Clio, with a tweaked front end, which proves that the Japanese company won’t take any unnecessary risks when it comes to its development.

The greenhouse looks identical to that of the fifth-gen Clio, and so do the rear quarter panels, doors, and even the positioning of the handles. The roofline is just as arched behind the B pillars, and the front windscreen angle doesn’t seem to have been changed at all. To differentiate it from its French cousin, Mitsubishi will give it a new face, otherwise similar to its modern vehicle lineup, and probably a tweaked dashboard panel inside, though, for the most part, it will be nothing more than a rebadged Clio.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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