More aggression predicted for next-generation model.
While Mitsubishi is undoubtedly doing what it can to cash-in on the popularity of SUVs, you’d think that something like the Mirage, the small city car that’s neither here nor there, would be overlooked. But it seems that the Japanese carmaker has big plans for the little car, which aims to recapture some of the magic that Mitsubishi used to have.
You see, those who aren’t six and a half minutes old would recall Mitsubishi being synonymous with things like rallycross and motorsports. Indeed, Mitsubishis used to be the dream cars of many a growing teenager, who’d plaster their walls with photos of Evos busting through the sand or screaming through the trees during legs of the World Rally Cross.
It’s some of that magic that the new Mirage aims to recapture, albeit in a tuned-down package. Japanese publication Response says that the 2019 Mirage will present itself as a sporty, driver-focused little hatch that will have cars like the Suzuki Swift and Ford Fiesta in its crosshairs, which will undoubtedly sound like music to the ears of brand fans who’ve been dying for an enthusiast-pleasing new model.
The next-gen Mirage will be built on the Common Modular Family (CMF-B) platform, shared with the rest of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Expect to see an aggressive design that’ll sit well with the rest of the Mitsubishi family, including the ‘Dynamic Shield Face’ that we’ve seen all new Mitsubishis adopt. A tuned-up model will also (allegedly) gain things like overfenders and an enormous rear wing, which to us sounds like the kind of car that’s just begging to be tuned further.
But short of a ‘Mirage Sport,’ there’ll be very little sportiness going on under the bonnet. Cooking models are expected to be powered by a tiny 0.9L three-cylinder turbo petrol, or a 1.5-litre turbodiesel 4-pot for the European market. There might also be an all-electric version of the Mirage on the cards too, though that may have to wait a while before breaking cover.
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