Mitsubishi is adept at making a fuss about its latest model arrival, which indeed has a familiar sound to it. Actually it's called the Colt, which made its debut last year, but this 2005 Colt has an additional bit of nomenclature, being the CZ3.
What's the difference then? Essentially just three doors instead of five.
At Mitsubishi though, there's the insistence of a lot of difference, and even that it's a stand-alone model. The notion is inspired by a more coupé-like bodystyle that also has a more sporting profile. It's the bodystyle, too, that will accommodate the CZT, another later Colt arrival with a 1.5 litre 150bhp turbocharged engine.
For now, Colt five-door and Colt CZ3 both come with identical 75bhp 1.1 and 95bhp 1.3 litre petrol engines. There's also a 95bhp 1.5 litre three-cylinder direct injection turbodiesel that's also common to both and arrives in March, along with the high performing 1.5 litre version. Identical, too, are the specification levels, intriguingly called Inform, Inform Look, Inform Feel and Invite. The top-of-the-range Invite offers goodies like air conditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels and audio remote control.
CZ3 is 60mm shorter than its five-door sibling and 30mm lower. Its coupé pretensions haven't, however, made life in the back seat intolerable. Far from it; the spaciousness is surprising. The rear is also a flexible area, with sliding and folding removable seats.
Irish prices have just been announced for the CZ3 range, starting at €14,995 for the entry-level three-door 1.1 litre Inform, which is exactly the same as for the five-door equivalent. After that prices mostly diverge with the CZ3 versions carrying a €300 premium. The flagship car, the 1.3 litre Invite has a €17,745 price tag or €18,595 with automatic transmission.
The CZ3 is expected to account for about 40 per cent of all Colt sales in Europe, but here the expectation is lower, around 30 per cent. All in all, over 2,000 Irish Colt registrations are projected for this year, and 2,500 in 2006. "It's the most important model for getting us back into shape," remarks Patrick Murphy of Mitsubishi Ireland.
Getting back into shape was a discussion point at the CZ3's international launch last week. "We have a good future and with this latest Colt we are half way through our new model programme that has 10 new models up to 2007," explains Tim Tozer, the new president of Mitsubishi in Europe. "Last year was difficult, DaimlerChrysler pulled out, but within 24 hours we had a Mitsubishi Japanese consortium in place and taking control."
The new Dutch-built Colt is built alongside Smart cars at the Born plant in southern Holland which once built Dafs and later small Volvos. Mitsubishi was controlled by DaimlerChrysler but mounting Mitsubishi losses prompted DC to withdraw. "Now we just commercially co-operate with DC, and that's true of the operation with Smart," adds Tozer.
Last year's uncertainty meant a loss of confidence in major markets like Germany. But last year European sales of vehicles with the three-diamond logo were still up 8.6 per cent on 2003. Britain is now the best market, with sales doubled to nearly 36,000 since 2000.