Mitsubishi is in trouble, and for once, it’s actually a good thing. While it may be too strong to label it a “renaissance”, New Outlander made the three-diamond badge a respectable choice for the first time in two decades. But the Outlander is still an SUV, and Mitsubishi’s golden era is associated with vaguely sporty touring cars. Obviously, there is still work to be done.
The automaker’s next move is to resurrect Colt – a subsidiary that has been discontinued since 2013 – as a badged electric-powered Renault Clio. And that’s really not a terrible idea. Mitsubishi needs a spark of novelty wherever they can get one these days. If it happens to come from one or both of its Renault-Nissan Alliance partners, so be it.
Mitsubishi released a trailer for the new Colt on Tuesday. It’s as dark as you’d expect, all to draw attention to the brand’s new corporate face. Of the cup scores in the auto industry, I think this one is pretty good. It’s unique enough, and, by creating a space in the center for the badge, refreshingly accept the fact that functional grids are no longer needed.
The new Colt will literally be a Clio or a Nissan Micra under the skin – two other upcoming Alliance cars built on the CMF-B platform. That will be disappointing for those who have experienced the brand’s high-flying demonstration days, but this is the best possible outcome for Mitsubishi. Obviously they no longer have the resources to do everything themselves, but Nissan and Renault have made a lot of progress in their portfolios in recent years – especially Nissan.
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This will be a net gain for a brand with a vacant identity like Mitsubishi, sort of like when GM started importing Opels as Buicks a decade ago. A Clio-based Colt may also provide the perfect platform for a warmed-up Ralli Art version, if Mitsubishi is actually be honest about its vision for that name. The new Colt will debut in 2023, around which time the brand will also launch an ASX small crossover based on the Renault Captur.
