Sparkling diamonds

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

For a while there it looked like Mitsubishi might name its new small car the Mirage, after the model which sold particularly well here through the 80s.

In 1985, Mitsubishi was the bestselling brand in New Zealand, helped largely by sales of the three- and five-door Mirage, which had a dominant 9 per cent of the small car segment.

But over time, the Mirage became dated and sales slipped. Used imports helped its decline. Mitsubishi New Zealand pretty much abandoned it a couple of years ago, selling 23 in 1999 and one in 2000.

It now wishes it hadn't. It has had to watch empty-handed as sales of small cars from European, Japanese and Korean carmakers have grown. They account for more than 20 per cent of the overall market.

Mitsubishi executives in Wellington desperately wanted back in. But they didn't have a model in the mix until late last year, when the Colt was launched in Japan.

The idea of rebadging it the Mirage for New Zealand was discussed. After all, the original Mirage was called the Colt in some markets. The name Colt goes back to the Mitsubishi 600 model in 1962.

But talk of a name change didn't last long. The old name was yesterday's model. Better to break back into the segment with a new name with no baggage.

Besides, head office in Japan is moving to standardise model names worldwide. For example, it wants Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd to call the new Diamante a Diamante and not the Magna/Verada. That will probably happen when MMAL builds the all-new Diamante, which appears in 2005. Mitsubishi New Zealand believes it is getting back into a position with its model line-up to put pressure on market leaders Toyota, Ford and Holden (see story below).

It will be helped by developments in Adelaide, where MMAL has spent $43 million on a new large press at its assembly plant. It has also invested $250 million in a new automotive research centre in the South Australia capital. Both are part of a $1 billion-plus investment programme for the production of two all-new models from 2005, which New Zealand will get.

The new press will be the largest facility of this type within the global Mitsubishi Motors Corporation group and the largest facility within the Australian automobile industry.

It will allow the Adelaide plant to make the entire body side of a vehicle from a single panel, which Mitsubishi says will improve build accuracy and quality control.

The latest Diamante comes from Adelaide. The Colt comes from Japan. Both were launched on the roads around Wellington and Wairarapa last Wednesday and both point to the company's new global styling direction.

The five-door Colt is the first all-new Mitsubishi model since DaimlerChrysler took operational control of the company in 2001.

It is built on a platform it shares with the Smart four-door, a compact European model. Other derivatives expected to spin off the platform include a three-door for Europe.

The Colt was styled by Mitsubishi's design chief, Frenchman Olivier Boulay, who penned the facelifted Diamante. He also styled the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Two Colt models are available, the standard ES at $21,600 and the better-equipped Sport at $22,900.

Both are powered by a clean-burning 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously variable transmission and producing 72kW at 6000rpm and 132Nm of torque at 4250rpm. Mitsubishi says frugal Colt drivers should be able to get about 50mpg, or 5 litres/100km.

The new car rides on MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam set-up at the rear. Mitsubishi says a 50mm longer wheelbase gives the Colt a ride advantage over the Honda Jazz, at which it is aimed.

The Diamante is meant to convey a bold new look. Boulay says his main design thrust was to make sure that anybody who looked in their rearview mirror would know if a Mitsubishi was following them.

"It was very important to give it [Diamante] a strong new identity because it didn't have any," said Boulay.



Gone is the weathered Diamante face. In its place is a bolder design with a distinctive grille sporting Mitsubishi's three diamonds symbol. The front guards have a more swooped appearance that highlights the new triangular headlight assemblies.

There are eight models in the Diamante range, priced between $42,990 and $55,990. The front-drive units are on sale now, the all-wheel-drive variants will arrive in October.

Inside, the car picks up new features and revisions, including material and trim.

Standard safety equipment includes dual front and side airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and anti-lock brakes.

The standard 3.5-litre, 24-valve V6 engine develops 155kW of power at 5250rpm and 316Nm of torque at 4000rpm. Also in the line-up is the 163kW version with a free-flow sports exhaust.

Mitsubishi says steering rack revisions have improved the on-centre feel, spring adjustments have produced better ride balance and the fitting of rear stabiliser bars to all sedans reduces body roll and produces more neutral handling.