Mitsubishi Mirage
Encyclopedia
Mitsubishi launched the Mirage as a three-door front wheel drive hatchback
in 1978, as a response to the first fuel crisis some years before. It had a distinctive design with large windows and Mitsubishi's Super Shift
transmission (four speeds, but two modes). A five-door joined the range in 1979. This version of the Mirage was exported to the United States
as the Dodge Colt
and Plymouth Champ
from 1979 and received the highest United States Environmental Protection Agency
fuel economy
rating that year.
A 1600 cc engine joined the range in 1979.
In 1981, the Lancer Fiore, not to be confused with the regular Mitsubishi Lancer
, was launched. The Fiore was a four-door version of the Mirage. At the same time, the range was facelifted.
In 1982, a turbocharged, 105 PS (77 kW
) version of the 1400 cc engine was made available.
In many countries, this car was known as the Mitsubishi Colt. In the United Kingdom
, where Colt was the marque, it was called the Colt 1200 and Colt 1400, after the size of the engines, which it shared with the larger Lancer.
Since most overseas markets did not have the Minica
kei car
, the Mirage was the entry-level model.
Local CKD assembly of the Mirage took place in New Zealand
by Todd Motors, where there was a sports equivalent called the Mirage Panther in the early 1980s. The replacement Mirage Turbo had the distinction of being that country's second locally assembled turbocharged car from 1983, following the Lancer Turbo.
The facelifted model was also built by Mitsubishi of Australia
, and had an unusually long model life, from 1981 to 1990. The Australians offered the Colt with the 1.4 L engine, and a larger 1.6 L. This model was imported for a short time to New Zealand in the late 1980s, where it was sharing showroom space with the locally assembled third generation models.
was added in 1985 and a four-wheel-drive wagon in 1986.
Engine power for the 4G32BT engine for the USDM "Turbo Sport" model, was 105 horsepower; the 3 door hatchback Turbo Sport weighted in at a low 2005 USDM pounds.
Many export markets sold the hatchbacks as the Mirage or Colt, and the sedan and station wagon
as the Lancer.
A commercial version of the wagon was sold in New Zealand as the Mitsubishi Express, replacing an earlier model based on the Mitsubishi Galant Sigma
.
New engines were added: the 1300 and 1500 cc engines replaced the 1200 and 1400; an 1800 cc diesel
was also added.
The Mirage was not sold in the United States
by Mitsubishi until 1985, and it was this version that made the marque's début there.
The four-door model formed the basis of the Proton Saga
, Malaysia's first locally built car. Proton would spin the Saga off into a five-door hatchback (styled differently from Mitsubishi's own five-door hatch version) called the Saga Aeroback in 1987.
as the Mitsubishi Colt
, and the following versions were offered:
The Lancer saloon was available in the same trim levels as the hatchback model (but not with the 1200 engine), while the estate versions were available as 1500 GLX and 1800 GLD only.
Australia
got only the 1300 GL and 1500 GLX versions.
).
Engines available were 1.3 and 1.5 12-valve 4-cylinder engines, and 1.6 and 1.8 16-valve 4-cylinder engines. European versions were available in 1300 GL, 1500 GLX, 1600 GTi, 1800 GTi 16v versions. In some markets a 'van' model was produced, being the three-door hatchback without rear side windows (attracting a reduced sales tax in the Dutch market).
Four-door models were usually called Lancer overseas, but Mirage in Japan
and North America. In Australia
, all the models in this range were badged Mitsubishi Lancer
.
The 1989–92 model year Mirage was also sold as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt
(as a hatchback) and the Eagle Summit
in the US. In Canada
, the Mirage sedan that time was known as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt, because Mitsubishis weren't sold in Canada up until the 2003 model year.
The Mirage Turbo was on Car and Driver
's Ten Best list
for 1989.
The station wagon
was carried over, as there never was a wagon made on the third generation Mirage chassis.
These were known as the 'CB' chassis in Australia and New Zealand.
Proton took over the license to this design for its range from 1997 onwards and it is still offered in some countries as the Proton Satria
(three-door, ex Cyborg) and Proton Wira
(four and five-door), Proton M21/Putra
coupe (2-door), or 200 and 400 series. Not only is the car still being built by Proton, but they also developed a pickup/ute variant of the chassis and named it the Proton Jumbuck
.
Mitsubishi started manufacturing the fourth generation/CC platform in 1992, it was taken over by Proton in 1996/97 and is still being utilised in 2006.
With the split between the name Asti/Mirage/Lancer namesake spanning over several countries it created somewhat of a confusion but something that all models share is the 'CC' chassis platform. The rounder shape of the Asti/Mirage/Lancer coupe, hatch and 4 door sedan gave them a modern sportier appearance different from the squarer 'CC' chassis of the Mirage/Lancer sold alongside it in the showroom floor. These squarer 4th Generation versions of the Lancer/Mirage sedan and wagon (as pictured to the right) had the similar appearance as the popular Evolution Lancer 1-3 models which were used in rally. These models were available in sedan or wagon and either FWD or AWD. A 1800 cc DOHC Turbo 145 kW version of the Lancer Sedan was sold as the "GSR Turbo" variant in Australia and New Zealand, and the AWD turbo wagon was only available in New Zealand under the "Libero" name. These versions were based on the EVO 1-3 models, but only offered with a 1800 cc 4G93T turbo engine, not the 1998 cc 4G63T turbo engine as in the EVO models.
(still called Mirage Asti in Japan), three-door hatchback and a four-door sedan, all but the three-door being called Lancer in export markets. A station wagon
on this platform was offered but never as a Mirage, in either Japan or overseas. In Japan it had Libero badges. It is usually considered part of the Lancer lineage, not the Mirage one.
By 2003, the only Mirage sold in Japan was the coupé
, without the Asti designation.
Due to Mitsubishi's financial troubles, this version of the Mirage stayed in production to 2003, with minor facelifts along the way. Despite a new Lancer (the Lancer Cedia) in 2000, many countries (including Thailand
and New Zealand
) still sold this generation as late as 2003. The United States, which sold the range as the Mirage from 1997 to 2002, replaced it with the Lancer Cedia (called plain Lancer there and in all other export markets) from 2002.
With the rising popularity of boxy compact
and subcompact SUVs in Japan, the Mirage nameplate was used on a domestic market-only model called the Mirage Dingo
, from 1999. The Dingo was facelifted in 2001 and cancelled in 2003.
However, New Zealand sold a very different Mirage in 2002: a rebadged, Dutch
-made Mitsubishi Space Star
. The vehicle was not very popular and was soon discontinued.
Most countries replaced the Mirage with the Mitsubishi Colt
, sharing a platform with the Smart Forfour
, in 2004.
. Following the Nissan Micra, the Mirage will have simpler design and mechanic. The car will be built in Thailand.
At launch, the only engine with will be a 1.0L 3-cylinder naturally aspirated gasoline with start-stop, coupled with a continuously variable transmission.
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
in 1978, as a response to the first fuel crisis some years before. It had a distinctive design with large windows and Mitsubishi's Super Shift
Mitsubishi Super Shift transmission
The Super Shift transmission was a manual transaxle transmission developed by Mitsubishi Motors in the late 1970's and used in a limited number of the company's road cars, most of which were manufactured in the 1980's...
transmission (four speeds, but two modes). A five-door joined the range in 1979. This version of the Mirage was exported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Dodge Colt
Dodge Colt
The Dodge Colt and the similar Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, were subcompact cars sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1970 to 1994. They were captive imports from Mitsubishi Motors, initially twins of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive...
and Plymouth Champ
Dodge Colt
The Dodge Colt and the similar Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, were subcompact cars sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1970 to 1994. They were captive imports from Mitsubishi Motors, initially twins of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive...
from 1979 and received the highest United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
fuel economy
Fuel economy in automobiles
Fuel usage in automobiles refers to the fuel efficiency relationship between distance traveled by an automobile and the amount of fuel consumed....
rating that year.
A 1600 cc engine joined the range in 1979.
In 1981, the Lancer Fiore, not to be confused with the regular Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Lancer
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times,...
, was launched. The Fiore was a four-door version of the Mirage. At the same time, the range was facelifted.
In 1982, a turbocharged, 105 PS (77 kW
Kw
kw or KW may refer to:* Kuwait, ISO 3166-1 country code** .kw, the country code top level domain for Kuwait* Kilowatt* Self-ionization of water Kw* Cornish language's ISO 639 code* Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...
) version of the 1400 cc engine was made available.
In many countries, this car was known as the Mitsubishi Colt. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where Colt was the marque, it was called the Colt 1200 and Colt 1400, after the size of the engines, which it shared with the larger Lancer.
Since most overseas markets did not have the Minica
Mitsubishi Minica
-Minica Sedan:The first Minica was first introduced in October 1962 as a two-door sedan based on the Mitsubishi 360 light truck, sharing its front-mounted ME21 359 cc twin-cylinder air-cooled engine driving the rear wheels, transverse leaf springs in front and beam axle/leaf springs at the...
kei car
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
, the Mirage was the entry-level model.
Local CKD assembly of the Mirage took place in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
by Todd Motors, where there was a sports equivalent called the Mirage Panther in the early 1980s. The replacement Mirage Turbo had the distinction of being that country's second locally assembled turbocharged car from 1983, following the Lancer Turbo.
The facelifted model was also built by Mitsubishi of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and had an unusually long model life, from 1981 to 1990. The Australians offered the Colt with the 1.4 L engine, and a larger 1.6 L. This model was imported for a short time to New Zealand in the late 1980s, where it was sharing showroom space with the locally assembled third generation models.
Second generation (1983-1987)
Mitsubishi launched a new Colt in 1983, still splitting the range into Mirage (three- and five-door hatchback) and Lancer Fiore (four-door sedan) models, though some export markets did sell the four-door as the Mirage. A station wagonStation wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
was added in 1985 and a four-wheel-drive wagon in 1986.
Engine power for the 4G32BT engine for the USDM "Turbo Sport" model, was 105 horsepower; the 3 door hatchback Turbo Sport weighted in at a low 2005 USDM pounds.
Many export markets sold the hatchbacks as the Mirage or Colt, and the sedan and station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
as the Lancer.
A commercial version of the wagon was sold in New Zealand as the Mitsubishi Express, replacing an earlier model based on the Mitsubishi Galant Sigma
Mitsubishi Galant
The first generation of the car, initially known as the Colt Galant, was released in December 1969. The design was dubbed "Dynawedge" by Mitsubishi, referring to the influence of aerodynamics on the silhouette. Three models were available, powered by the new 'Saturn' engine in 1.3 or 1.5 L ...
.
New engines were added: the 1300 and 1500 cc engines replaced the 1200 and 1400; an 1800 cc diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
was also added.
The Mirage was not sold in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Mitsubishi until 1985, and it was this version that made the marque's début there.
The four-door model formed the basis of the Proton Saga
Proton Saga
- Saga :The Proton Saga was launched in September 1985 by Malaysia's then Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad. Before the production of Proton Saga, a contest was held to choose the name of the first national car, and the name Saga was chosen from the winner of the contest, Ismail Jaafar, a...
, Malaysia's first locally built car. Proton would spin the Saga off into a five-door hatchback (styled differently from Mitsubishi's own five-door hatch version) called the Saga Aeroback in 1987.
Versions available
The Mirage was available in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as the Mitsubishi Colt
Mitsubishi Colt
The Mitsubishi Colt is a vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It was first introduced as a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback in the 1980s and 1990s...
, and the following versions were offered:
- 1200 EL/GL 3-door
- 1300 GL 3/5-door
- 1500 GLX 3/5-door
- 1800 GL Diesel 5-door
The Lancer saloon was available in the same trim levels as the hatchback model (but not with the 1200 engine), while the estate versions were available as 1500 GLX and 1800 GLD only.
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
got only the 1300 GL and 1500 GLX versions.
Third generation (1987-1992)
The 1987 third-generation Mirage was stylistically distinct: Mitsubishi had scored well with its revamped Galant and transferred its styling to the smaller cars. The basic model was a three-door with an upright tailgate. The top Mirages in Japan were called the Mirage Cyborg, featuring a turbocharged 1600 cc engine developing 145 PS (107 kWWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
).
Engines available were 1.3 and 1.5 12-valve 4-cylinder engines, and 1.6 and 1.8 16-valve 4-cylinder engines. European versions were available in 1300 GL, 1500 GLX, 1600 GTi, 1800 GTi 16v versions. In some markets a 'van' model was produced, being the three-door hatchback without rear side windows (attracting a reduced sales tax in the Dutch market).
Four-door models were usually called Lancer overseas, but Mirage in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and North America. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, all the models in this range were badged Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Lancer
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times,...
.
The 1989–92 model year Mirage was also sold as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt
Dodge Colt
The Dodge Colt and the similar Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, were subcompact cars sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1970 to 1994. They were captive imports from Mitsubishi Motors, initially twins of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive...
(as a hatchback) and the Eagle Summit
Eagle Summit
The Eagle Summit was a subcompact car produced by Mitsubishi Motors from 1989 to 1996. It was sold as a captive import by the Jeep-Eagle sales division that was created after Chrysler Corporation purchased American Motors Corporation in 1987...
in the US. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Mirage sedan that time was known as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt, because Mitsubishis weren't sold in Canada up until the 2003 model year.
The Mirage Turbo was on Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
's Ten Best list
Car and Driver Ten Best
Car and Driver magazine annually nominates a list of what it considers the Ten Best cars and Five Best trucks.All production vehicles for sale in that calendar year are considered with these restrictions:# The vehicle must be on sale by January...
for 1989.
The station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
was carried over, as there never was a wagon made on the third generation Mirage chassis.
Face lift
The Mirage and Lancer received a facelift in 1990, with late models receiving the same engines as were seen in the next generation Mirage/Colt/Lancer.These were known as the 'CB' chassis in Australia and New Zealand.
Fourth generation (1991-1996)
In 1991 the 4th Generation or 'CC' chassis platform changed to a modern more stylish rounder shape to its predecessors. A two-door coupe was introduced based on the Mirage (the Asti in Japan) and sold outside Japan to a number of countries around the world as the 'CC' chassis Mirage (in New Zealand and United States), and the Lancer coupe in Australia. These deliveries mainly saw a Front wheel drive 1500cc 8 valve SOHC caburettor engine in the base GL model, or a 1800 cc SOHC 8 valve EFI engine in the higher GLXi variant in Australia, and the same engines were offered in New Zealand and overseas but in a choice of either Front Wheel Drive or All wheel drive variant, and either a 2-door, 3-door (Cyborg) or 4-door shape. This is where the first MIVEC 1600 cc engines started to roll out in Mitsubishi platforms. The 2 door CC coupe was sold with the CA5A chassis description. Mitsubishi's engine choices were vast with this new platform. Their most popular were the 4G15 1.5 Carburetor, 4G15 1.5 fuel injected, 4G93 1.8 EFI, 4G93 1.8 DOHC EFI, 4G92 1.6 MIVEC EFI, a 4G91 1.5 DOHC caburetor, and even a 6A10 (V6)and 4D68 Turbo Diesel all in either a front wheel drive or All Wheel Drive format. The 2.0L 4G63 turbo was an option only in the United States, but was quickly dropped in favor of using this power option in the soon to be released Lancer Evolution I.Proton took over the license to this design for its range from 1997 onwards and it is still offered in some countries as the Proton Satria
Proton Satria
The Proton Satria was a hatchback produced by Proton. Production started in 1995 for the first generation and ended in 2005. The new Satria Replacement Model , known as Proton Satria Neo was launched on 16 June 2006...
(three-door, ex Cyborg) and Proton Wira
Proton Wira
The Proton Wira was a car manufactured by Malaysian carmaker Proton, released as a four-door saloon and four-door hatchback beginning 1993. The Wira was intended as a newer alternative to the Proton Saga Iswara, a facelifted version of Proton's first model, the Proton Saga, as a flagship compact...
(four and five-door), Proton M21/Putra
Proton Putra
The Proton Putra was a coupé automobile produced by Malaysian automobile company Proton. Production of the Putra started in 1995 for the first model and ended in 2000, but was briefly relaunched in limited numbers in 2004–05 available just in Malaysia...
coupe (2-door), or 200 and 400 series. Not only is the car still being built by Proton, but they also developed a pickup/ute variant of the chassis and named it the Proton Jumbuck
Proton Arena
The Proton Arena is a small front wheel drive coupé utility manufactured by Malaysian automaker Proton...
.
Mitsubishi started manufacturing the fourth generation/CC platform in 1992, it was taken over by Proton in 1996/97 and is still being utilised in 2006.
With the split between the name Asti/Mirage/Lancer namesake spanning over several countries it created somewhat of a confusion but something that all models share is the 'CC' chassis platform. The rounder shape of the Asti/Mirage/Lancer coupe, hatch and 4 door sedan gave them a modern sportier appearance different from the squarer 'CC' chassis of the Mirage/Lancer sold alongside it in the showroom floor. These squarer 4th Generation versions of the Lancer/Mirage sedan and wagon (as pictured to the right) had the similar appearance as the popular Evolution Lancer 1-3 models which were used in rally. These models were available in sedan or wagon and either FWD or AWD. A 1800 cc DOHC Turbo 145 kW version of the Lancer Sedan was sold as the "GSR Turbo" variant in Australia and New Zealand, and the AWD turbo wagon was only available in New Zealand under the "Libero" name. These versions were based on the EVO 1-3 models, but only offered with a 1800 cc 4G93T turbo engine, not the 1998 cc 4G63T turbo engine as in the EVO models.
Fifth generation (1997-2002)
A new Mirage was launched in 1995 and called the 'CE'ALEpillo or 5th Generation chassis. The range was rationalized to a two-door coupeCoupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
(still called Mirage Asti in Japan), three-door hatchback and a four-door sedan, all but the three-door being called Lancer in export markets. A station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
on this platform was offered but never as a Mirage, in either Japan or overseas. In Japan it had Libero badges. It is usually considered part of the Lancer lineage, not the Mirage one.
By 2003, the only Mirage sold in Japan was the coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
, without the Asti designation.
Due to Mitsubishi's financial troubles, this version of the Mirage stayed in production to 2003, with minor facelifts along the way. Despite a new Lancer (the Lancer Cedia) in 2000, many countries (including Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) still sold this generation as late as 2003. The United States, which sold the range as the Mirage from 1997 to 2002, replaced it with the Lancer Cedia (called plain Lancer there and in all other export markets) from 2002.
With the rising popularity of boxy compact
Compact SUV
Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles.- Background :...
and subcompact SUVs in Japan, the Mirage nameplate was used on a domestic market-only model called the Mirage Dingo
Mitsubishi Dingo
The Mitsubishi Mirage Dingo is a mini MPV built by Mitsubishi Motors from 1998–2003, using a shortened version of the Mirage platform. The "Dingo" name is derived from Bingo and its connotations of good fortune, but with the B replaced by D to represent Mitsubishi's Diamond logo.As with most direct...
, from 1999. The Dingo was facelifted in 2001 and cancelled in 2003.
However, New Zealand sold a very different Mirage in 2002: a rebadged, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-made Mitsubishi Space Star
Mitsubishi Space Star
The Mitsubishi Space Star is a mini MPV from Mitsubishi Motors, built in the NedCar factory in the Netherlands, a joint facility shared with Volvo, and is primarily sold on the European markets. It shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Carisma and Volvo S40/V40, and was first introduced to the...
. The vehicle was not very popular and was soon discontinued.
Most countries replaced the Mirage with the Mitsubishi Colt
Mitsubishi Colt
The Mitsubishi Colt is a vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It was first introduced as a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback in the 1980s and 1990s...
, sharing a platform with the Smart Forfour
Smart Forfour
The Smart Forfour was a supermini produced by Smart between April 2004 and June 2006. Unlike the other models of the marque, the Forfour was a more conventional five-door hatchback with a relatively roomy interior, available as a four-/five-seater....
, in 2004.
Sixth generation (2012)
The Colt will be renamed back to Mirage in 2012. The sixth generation was previewed as a concept car at the 2011 [Geneva Auto Show]] and will be unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor ShowTokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...
. Following the Nissan Micra, the Mirage will have simpler design and mechanic. The car will be built in Thailand.
At launch, the only engine with will be a 1.0L 3-cylinder naturally aspirated gasoline with start-stop, coupled with a continuously variable transmission.