Mitsubishi Colt

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For the official British importer of Mitsubishi vehicles, see Colt Car Company.

Mitsubishi Colt

Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Motors
Production	1962–present

The Mitsubishi Colt is a supermini built by Mitsubishi Motors at their NedCar plant in the Netherlands, using the same underpinnings as its sister car, the now discontinued Smart Forfour. Mitsubishi has used the name twice previously, first as the marque of a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback. The Chrysler Corporation, Mitsubishi's longtime partner, also used the name in the 1970 when it rebadged the second generation Mitsubishi Galant as Dodge Colt and Plymouth Colt captive imports for the United States market.

1 1960s
2 2003
3 2004
4 2005
- 4.1 CZC
5 2006
- 5.1 Ralliart Version-R
- 5.2 Mitsubishi Colt EV
6 External links
7 Footnotes

[edit] 1960s

Mitsubishi introduced the 'Colt' name in 1962 on the Colt 600, the first of a line of small, sporty vehicles complementing their Mitsubishi 500, the company's first post-war passenger car. Powered by a NE35A 594 cc OHV two cylinder air-cooled engine. At this time, Mitsubishi Motors did not yet exist as an autonomous company, and vehicles were being produced by three regional subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. MHI, which had been formally dismantled after the Second World War, resumed operating as a single entity in 1964, but continued to use the 'Colt' marque until the 1970s in Asia, and the 1980s in Europe.

To complement the 600, a larger compact car was intoduced in 1963, the Colt 1000', followed by the Colt 800 and Colt 1500 in 1965.

The Colt marque was used principally in the United Kingdom, and phased out around 1984. In New Zealand, the Colt brand began disappearing in the mid 1970s in favour of Mitsubishi and surfaced as a model name only in the late 1980s and in 2003.

In the 1980s, Mitsubishi Motors Australia offered the original Mirage as the Colt, building it at its Adelaide plant. The Australian Colt was available as a four- or five-door with a 1.6-litre engine at the top of the range. It was sold as an entry-level model there and in New Zealand, where the second-generation Mirage was already on offer.

[edit] 2003

2003

Production	2003–present
Assembly	Born, Netherlands Okazaki, Aichi, Japan Turin, Italy
Class	Supermini
Body style	3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback 2-door hardtop convertible
Wheelbase	2500 mm
Length	3870 mm
Width	1680 mm
Height	1550 mm
Related	Smart Forfour
Designer	Olivier Boulay

In 2003 a new Colt was released by Mitsubishi in Japan with a design by Olivier Boulay and built on the platform of the Smart Forfour. A European version made at Mitsubishi's NedCar facility followed into production a year later (see below).

[edit] 2004

In 2004, the Colt Plus was launched in Japan. This was essentially a longer version of the standard Colt. In the same year the Colt was also launched in Europe, with models ranging from 1.1 MPI, 1.3 MPI, 1.5 MPI and 1.5T in petrol. The perfomance specification 1.5T was based on the 4G15 block, with a Turbo and Intercooler to aid power (147 hp @ 6000RPM / 155 lb.ft @ 3500RPM). MIVEC variable valve timing was also used to increase the output, upping the power dramatically from the 109 hp 1.5 MPI. The same performance engine was also used to power the latter released CZC cabrio model Colt (2005), with the more petrol-friendly 1.5 MPI also being made available.

The Smart forfour also shared the '03 specification chassis, with Brabus releasing a performance version of the forfour in '04 using the same engine as used in the 2004 European cz-T, but squeezing 30 extra HP out of the same 4G15.

In November of 2004, a 1.5 L D-ID direct injection turbodiesel version with Turbocharger and Intercooler, producing 95 PS (70 kW) was made available, with an option of the Allshift robotic CVT gearbox.

[edit] 2005

[edit] CZC

Mitsubishi released its new Colt CZC coupé cabriolet to the Geneva Motor Show in March 2005, and the car is on sale since 2006. The car is a 2+2 with a retractable hard-top and available with the turbo engine from the European cz-T or as just a 1.5 MPI. Jointly developed by Mitsubishi and Pininfarina under Ken Okuyama, it is partly made in the Netherlands, with final assembly taking part at Pininfarina in Turin, Italy.

[edit] 2006

In 2006, Mitsubishi released a new electrically powered Colt (MIEV) as an approach to stress its new environmentally conscious policy. This Colt has a separate electric motor at each wheel.

[edit] Ralliart Version-R

Mitsubishi released a new Colt Ralliart Version-R in Japan on May 30, 2006. Its 4G15 engine, with MIVEC variable valve timing and turbocharger, produces 154 PS (113 kW) at 6000 rpm and 210 N·m (155 ft·lbf) at 3500 rpm. The rear seats are molded for two passengers, as opposed to three in the rest of the range. Incidentally, this is the same engine used in the 2004 European performance specification Colt (cz-T), only running slightly increased horse power figures (torque stayed the same). A side point to note is that in 2006 European Colts also gained leather seats as a standard fitment.

[edit] Mitsubishi Colt EV

Mitsubishi Colt EV

Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Motors
Class	Battery electric vehicle
Length	3885 mm
Width	1680 mm
Height	1550 mm
Curb weight	1150 kg
Similar	Mitsubishi i Toyota RAV4 EV GM EV-1

The Mitsubishi Colt EV is an electric vehicle made by Mitsubishi, with in-wheel motors and lithium-ion batteries. Its chassis is from the Mitsubishi Colt and the newer Mitsubishi i.

Mitsubishi Motors is developing a next-generation electric vehicle that will use in-wheel motors and lithium-ion batteries. This program is called the Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle (MIEV) concept. The company also plans to use this technology in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. The in-wheel motor makes it possible to regulate drive torque and braking force independently at each wheel without the need for any transmission, drive shaft or other complex mechanical components. Since the electric drive system is housed inside the wheel itself, designers have more room to place components throughout the chassis. This makes placement of bulky items, such as the battery system, fuel cell stacks and hydrogen tanks used in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, an easier proposition.

Lithium-ion battery technology offers superior specific energy, specific power, and life over other types of rechargeable batteries and thus is expected to contribute to higher top speeds, extended cruising ranges and to greater weight reductions in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. ^[1]

The car is expected to have a range of 150 km (93 miles). The target price of a MIEV should be around US$19,000. No export decision has yet been made: ^[2]