Mitsubishi, which sold just 54,000 vehicles in the U.S. last year, is planning a resurgence starting with the new b-segment Outlander Sport that is set to make its debut as the ASX at the upcoming 2010 Geneva auto show. The new direction is to capture niches, especially in the smaller B- and C-segments, including the i-MiEV pure electric hatchback, which is set to go on sale in the fall of 2011
The salient model for enthusiasts, however, is a B-segment hot hatch, with a 1.0- or 1.2-liter turbo and all-wheel-drive planned for calendar year 2012. The so-called Colt successor may or may not be called Colt. The performance version probably won't be quite on the level of the C-segment Lancer Evolution, but it should at least be roughly the equivalent of a Lancer Ralliart.
Mitsubishi's all-important C-segment compacts come in calendar '13, including the PX-MiEV plug-in gas/electric hybrid Outlander we saw in concept form at last year's Tokyo auto show. A new Lancer launches that year as well, and Mitsubishi plans a hybrid version of the quotidian sedan. Although a next-gen Evo is too far off to confirm -- calendar '14 at the earliest -- reports of a hybrid-electric Evo XI (as outlined by our Japanese correspondent) indicate that there is a faction within Mitsu pushing to outfit the next-gen Evo with a green powertrain
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