Why The Mitsubishi Colt Sedan Stands Out

Photo Source/Copyright: Stellantis

Mitsubishi has spent the better part of the last decade leaning aggressively into crossovers and SUVs, so it’s surprisingly easy to forget that the company’s very first passenger car was no high-riding utility vehicle. It was a modest, lightweight three-box sedan. Over the decades, the Colt badge has been affixed to hatchbacks, fastbacks, station wagons, and even pioneering electric prototypes. Yet the humble sedan is where the entire lineage began, spinning a thread through automotive history that runs far deeper than most enthusiasts realize.

It Started as a Two-Door

The story begins back in 1962 with the debut of the Colt 600. At the time, it wasn’t even produced by Mitsubishi Motors as we know it today, but rather by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Featuring two doors, a tiny air-cooled rear engine, and proportions that look downright quaint to modern eyes, it only stayed on the production line for three brief years. Despite its brief lifespan, its impact was massive: virtually every Mitsubishi passenger car that followed traces its heritage directly back to this tiny rear-engined notchback.

The Numbered Years and the Rally Habit

What came next was a somewhat dizzying succession of numbered badges. The Colt 1000 arrived in 1963 as a roomier companion to the 600. The 1100 took over in 1966, followed by the 1200 in 1968. Meanwhile, the 1500, which debuted in 1965, eventually transformed into the Galant Colt. Yes, that Galant, which laid the groundwork for one of Mitsubishi’s most iconic sedan nameplates.

Alongside these sedans, a fastback model called the Colt 800 ran from 1965 to late 1971, utilizing an inline three-cylinder engine up front that drove the rear wheels. Around this time, Mitsubishi discovered its knack for motorsport. A Colt 1000F entered international competition in 1967, establishing the early roots of the rally reputation the brand traded on for decades.

Mirage Underneath, Three Boxes on Top

After a brief hiatus, the badge reemerged in 1978 on a front-wheel-drive hatchback built off the Mirage platform, with a formal sedan joining the lineup in 1982. This version was the Colt sedan most North American drivers actually encountered, though usually under borrowed badges. Through Chrysler’s joint venture with Mitsubishi, the car filled U.S. showrooms as the Dodge Colt and Plymouth Colt until 1994.

This Mirage-based architecture eventually evolved into the beloved Lancer. Later, the badge took another turn with the Colt Z30, running from 2002 to 2013. That generation produced the stretched Colt Plus in 2004 and the experimental, all-electric Colt MIEV two years later.

Where the Badge Sits Today

Recently, the Colt returned to Europe after a nine-year absence, resurrected as a five-door hatchback built on the Alliance CMF-B platform at Renault’s plant in Bursa, Turkey. European buyers can choose between a 1.6-liter full hybrid with two electric motors and a multi-mode gearbox, or a pair of 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas engines paired with manual transmissions. There’s no sedan in the current European lineup, and Europe remains the only market where you can buy a new Colt.

While three-box traditionalists might miss the trunk, utilizing shared hybrid hardware was a practical choice that kept the historic nameplate alive. Considering that over 1.2 million Colt vehicles were sold in Europe between 1978 and 2014, the stakes for getting the revival right were high.

The Three-Box Thread Never Snapped

Even without a Colt sedan in every market, the underlying philosophy lives on in Mitsubishi’s current compact lineup. The Attrage, known in many markets as the Mirage G4, carries the exact same brief as the 1962 original: affordable, easy to park, and practical.

Its modern refresh includes a Dynamic Shield honeycomb grille, LED lighting, and 15-inch two-tone alloy wheels wrapped around an efficient 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine. It may not look like a performance monster on paper, but it’s deeply useful in practice, which was the original Colt sedan’s primary goal all along.

Curious how that compact-car thinking shows up in our current lineup? Stop by our showroom or check out our inventory online today.