Mitsubishi Compact Crossover Official Sketch

Mitsubishi will launch its new Compact Crossover model at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show next March but the car will actually go on sale in February in Japan. It is based on the 2007 Concept cX show car but will also comprise a series of new features that will help the Japanese manufacturer "shift from being an SUV-focused nameplate to a manufacturer of environment-friendly passenger cars & crossovers," as it said in a press statement.

Up until now, only a few details are known about the upcoming model, except for the details concerning the cX concept.

If we are to trust the existing rumors, the future Crossover range will include several new engines, especially optimized for improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions. The new lineup will generate outputs ranging from 90 to 170 horsepower. Diesel units will be available as well, with Lancer’s 140-hp 2.0-litre DI-D configuration very likely to be offered on the upcoming Crossover as well.

"This on-road Compact Crossover will be the Corporation's next game changer towards lower impact vehicles, in their format and/or in the innovative MMC proprietary technologies they will feature," Mitsubishi said in a press release trying to emphasize the company's efforts to change its image from an off-road carmaker to a more consumer-oriented manufacturer.

The cX concept displayed in 2007 was equipped with a 1.8-liter clean diesel engine, featuring a variable geometry (VG) turbocharger for optimum boost control and a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) with diesel particulate filter (DPF) in the exhaust system. It complies with Euro 5 regulations.