Unlike its predecessor, the Colt featured a tall, upright design with a short engine compartment to maximize interior dimensions. In addition, Mitsubishi had little support from sales in Japan, which slowed considerably throughout 1997 and were affected by that country's own economic uncertainty into 1998. Mitsubishi granted Proton in Malaysia a license to the fourth generation design from 1993—and remained in produced in a distant form until 2010. Meanwhile, in an effort to increase production at its U. These were only built in , Thailand, and were also exported to Japan between 1997 and 1999.
In Japan, four-wheel-drive versions were also available, fitted with the carbureted 1. Within three years its output was over 75,000 vehicles annually. Along with the smaller, Colts they formed the mainstay of Mitsubishi's passenger car lineup in the 1960s. Mitsubishi Galant Estate A131; pre-facelift Todd Motors initially assembled 1. In May 2016 Nissan announced a controlling purchase of Mitsubishi Motors for an estimated 2 billion U.
For the Lancer, these included a different trunk lid, amber front turn signal lamps, and a restyled grille garnish. Between 1995 and 2004, the supplanted the sedan in some European markets. Designed by , it is built exclusively by in Thailand and is exported to 140 global markets. In 1999, Mitsubishi was forced once again to skip dividend payments. Then in 2002, a subcompact five-door hatchback badged Colt globally became available. Mitsubishi made sure the Colt had something for everyone, with two engine choises, a 1. However, in export markets, the genre is too specialized and too small for most models to be profitable.
. Charge times have been suggested to be a quick as 10 minutes, although whether this is partial or full is undisclosed. From 2014 models onwards, only a 1. In many export markets the car was simply known as the Galant. The next generation of its and was launched in 2007 and 2008. The combined result was a compact machine that loved being pushed to the limit through corners.
By 1989, Mitsubishi's worldwide production, including its overseas affiliates, had reached 1. Archived from on 13 October 2010. The plant continued to operate with a minimal staff to produce replacement parts until May 2016, after which it closed permanently. Shoulder room, leg room, and head space were all increased, and the trunk was slightly enlarged for more luggage capacity. Archived from on 28 January 2013.
Some European markets received a smaller 1. Distinguished by the installation of flusher fitting headlamps that extended into the , stylists also designed a new insert. This is especially true of the hatchback and coupé which were not redesigned due to Mitsubishi's financial troubles. In the United Kingdom, where Colt was the marque itself, it was called the Colt 1200 and Colt 1400, after the. It also looks somewhat aggressive, with a similar maw to the all-conquering Lancer Evolution models writ large on the smaller package. It an equivalent of the European B-segment or American subcompact categories.
Standard and DeLuxe models were available, for the Van as well as for the sedan. In Ireland, the specifications are different from those of models sold in the United Kingdom. The two door coupé was also redesigned for 1980 and was sold through 1983. The North American edition was unveiled in 2013 Salon International de l'auto de Montreal. The European market Sapporo took its bow at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show; the large 2. However, Mitsubishi engineers had to make use of the existing Orion engine designed for applications making use of the orientation.
This series also entered Indian production in June 1998 as the Lancer, assembled by. Four defects were first publicised in 2000, but in 2004 it confessed to 26 more going back as far as 1977, including failing brakes, fuel leaks and malfunctioning clutches. It was also produced by and sold alongside the larger models as the Chrysler Valiant Galant. Later, a now extremely rare four-door wagon aiming for private buyers unlike the Van commercial vehicle was added, as for the Colt 1200. The station wagon version was effectively replaced by the in most markets. Shipments to Japan began in July, with the Australian hitting the market in January 2013.