‘New’ Mitsubishi Colt Is Yet Another Rebadged Renault

No, you're eyes aren't deceiving you, this is a Mitsubishi-badged Renault Clio.

Having somewhat ‘revived’ its ASX nameplate recently with a rebadging effort based on the Renault Captur, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi has revealed another similar effort, this time for its ‘Colt’ hatchback nameplate.

Aptly, the base of this latest effort is of course the recently refreshed fifth-generation Renault Clio hatchback. It would be somewhat fair to say that the Japanese marque has done little at changing the car from its original Renault base for its customers.

Note the 'Mitsubishi' brand scrpit and 'Colt' badge present in the tailgate of this rebadged Clio.

Nevertheless, the Colt is poised at becoming an important value proposition for the brand, which perhaps explains why it didn’t invest heavily into its development

 The similarities aren’t all bad, though as the Colt stands as a well-desgined hatchback with expressive LED headlights and new taillights that exude aggression. The Mitsubishi brand name script can also be seen mounted to run across the tailgate, with a new Colt nameplate underneath which.

The cabin mirrors the Clio, featuring the latest facelift version's new digital screens behind the wheel and in the centre.

On board, you’ll find a familiar 7- or 9.3-inch infotainment touchscreen offering wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity. Behind the wheel is a 7-inch digital display, while an optional 10-inch screen is also available. There’s even a wireless charging pad present, thus giving it a slight upmarket feel.

Also carried over from the Clio are the choices between a 1.6-litre 4-cyl petrol-electric hybrid, as well as two 1.0-litre 3-cyl options.

As for powertrain, things are familiar here yet again as much of it mirrors what’s offered in the Clio. Firstly comes a hybrid that pairs a 1.6-litre 4-cyl petrol mill with a pair of electric motors sees up to 141 HP available, with Mitsubishi claiming said electric motors able to handle 80 % of urban driving duties. 

That aside, both a naturally aspirated and turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cyl choices are available too that delivers 66 HP and 96 HP respectively.

This Mitsubishi-badged Renault Clio will be built in Turkey and goes on sale in the EU later this year.

Perhaps the addition of an arsenal of active driver assistance systems (ADAS) should entice many potential buyers. It includes traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, and cruise control as standard. as Blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, park assist, and a 360-degree camera system can be found in higher-end variants too.

No prices were revealed yet, but Mitsubishi is set to start producing this new Clio-based Colt in Bursa, Turkey plant in Sept this year before entering European markets in the final quarter (Q4) of this year.