Mitsubishi Shows Sneak Peak of Next-Generation Lancer

If ever there was a model that needed replacing, its Mitsubishis long-in-tooth Lancer. Never a head-turner, the outdated model struggles to attract would-be buyers into the Japanese brands showrooms in an evermore hotly contested compact segment, and now with more and more subcompacts entering the marketplace, with innovative features and much lower pricing, Mitsubishis dealers face a long, cold and difficult winter in the entry-level segment.

After winter, however, spring will bring more than just hope, as the all-new Lancer is set to arrive in showrooms across the nation. For the time being, fans of the rally-bred model will have to content themselves in a new artists rendering released yesterday, which intimates that the new Lancer will look nearly as stunning as the Concept-X that debuted just over a year ago, foreshadowing the upcoming EVO X.

The new Lancer also signifies the continuation of Mitsubishis first global platform in its 90-year history. Project Global, first introduced with the 2007 Outlander, debuted in production trim earlier this year, while the architecture also came to the fore in new DaimlerChrysler products, namely the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass. In Europe, P.S.A. Peugeot Citroën also use the platform.

These domestic models also introduced the new World Engine family, developed in cooperation with Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler, plus Hyundai. North American-bound Lancers will probably only get larger displacement variants from 2.0 liters and up, while other markets will see the 1.5-liter version as well as a diesel.

Other than these abbreviated details, not much is known about the inner workings of Mitsubishis next-gen Lancer. We expect a more updated interior and even better handling, although the current car is one of the best in the compact segment. Following a trend led by Hyundais new Elantra, the Lancer should be larger too, especially inside, a feat accomplished by stretching the wheelbase.

What matters most in this segment, however, and any segment for that matter is getting the prospective buyer into the showroom. For that Mitsubishi has to be bold and innovative in producing something as dramatic as its recent concepts - the Concept-Sportback, shown before the Concept-X is most likely what we can expect for the Lancer Sportback replacement. If it dilutes the initial design, as it did with its new Eclipse, then the upcoming Lancer will lose some appeal; renderings, after all, hardly reflect the final design of any car - normally drawn wider, lower, longer and with larger wheels than production vehicles.

Of course, right about now Mitsubishi dealers would be happy with anything new, and the new Lancer, regardless of its final design, will sell much better than the current one, at least initially. The result of the brands efforts will mean more once the honeymoon is over, and the car has been on sale for a year or more.