Mitsubishi's six-gun

By ALAISTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

This is the facelifted Mitsubishi Diamante, the sedan the Japanese carmaker believes will boost its share of the dominant six-cylinder segment in New Zealand when it goes on sale this year.

The new-look model was unveiled at the New York motor show the other day. It will carry Mitsubishi's six-cylinder colours until the bigger, all-new Diamante appears in 2005.

The front bumper on the show car has been designed to conform to American safety requirements and is slightly different to the one Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd will make for New Zealand.

Most of the changes to the Diamante are around the front of the car. The modified twin-nostril grille shows off Mitsubishi's new corporate face, and the new bonnet has a central spine and drops away more sharply than the current car.

The new triangular headlights - not unlike those of the Toyota Camry - sweep up to meet the restyled front mudguards.

The headlights contain two circular inner elements along with integrated turn indicators. The front spoiler is much smoother, with curved air intake and fog lights.

The roofline, rear window, rear guards and doors are unchanged from the current car. But the door and sill mouldings have been revised for a cleaner look. So, too, have the tail-lights, with a little less chrome.

The interior picks up a new-look centre console and seats, along with updated trim and materials. The back seat is understood to have been moved marginally backwards to create more legroom.

The drive train, suspension and steering have also picked up minor modifications, says Mitsubishi.

The Diamante facelift was overseen by DaimlerChrysler design chief Olivier Boulay.

DaimlerChrysler is the major shareholder in Mitsubishi and the success of the next-generation Diamante as a world car platform is critical.

The story goes that MMAL submitted its own Diamante facelift to the Mitsubishi board for approval.

But DaimlerChrysler said "Thanks, but no thanks" and packed Boulay off to Australia to come up with something better.

It is the first time DaimlerChrysler has been involved in the reworking of an Adelaide-built MMAL car.

The Diamante is expected to be launched here in October/November. The front-drive car will go on sale first, followed a few weeks later by the facelifted all-wheel-drive variant. No word on price yet.

"The timing is imperative," says Ross Cameron, Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand marketing chief.

"We want both cars in the marketplace before Christmas. They will create renewed interest in the six-cylinder segment for Mitsubishi going into 2004."

Cameron said the current Diamante had sold particularly well this year, "considering it is nearing the end of its life cycle".

The appearance of the AWD model a couple of months ago has helped to boost overall Diamante sales.

The six-cylinder market in New Zealand has become even more competitive this year.

The best-selling six-cylinder car in March was the BA Falcon, with 706 sales. The Holden Commodore fell to second after 31 straight months at the top, with 624 sales.

However, the Commodore leads first quarter sales with 1950 units (42.9 per cent of the large car segment) against Falcon's 1681 (37 per cent).

The next bestselling car is the Toyota Corolla, with 893 registrations.

New mainstream six-cylinder models - apart from the Diamante - expected over the next 12 months include the Nissan Maxima.

There is also talk that Toyota Australia is planning to replace the 3-litre V6 engine in the topline Camry with the much-praised 4-litre V6 from the new four-wheel-drive Prado.