Hot Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart-inspired concept revealed

A movement has begun in Europe to persuade Mitsubishi to revive its famous Ralliart sub-brand with Mitsubishi Motors Czech Republic even going as far as creating a new hot hatch concept that could have been developed by the performance division.

Releasing pictures of its one-off 2025 Mitsubishi Colt Performance concept, complete with Ralliart-style branding, the Renault Clio-based hot hatch features a tuned 1.0-litre turbo-petrol triple that pushes out 95kW/222Nm – a healthy bump over the standard car’s 67kW/160Nm.

Matched with a six-speed manual transmission, the Japanese brand’s Czech outpost has also added a Ralliart-mimicking livery while enhancing aerodynamics with a new front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser.

A set of lightweight OZ racing SuperTurismo GT wheels have also been added, wrapped in performance-focused Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres.

There’s no word if the one-off hot hatch features sports suspension or bigger brakes, but it’s thought the car is being used to gauge feedback and demand for a return of Ralliart-prepared performance cars.

The final Ralliart models, which included the Lancer Evolution X and Lancer Ralliart, were discontinued back in 2015 following Mitsubishi’s announcement it would reconcentrate its efforts on producing SUVs.

The same division was also responsible for Mitsubishi’s motorsport activities, preparing its WRC cars before withdrawing from the sport in 2003 and winding down its global racing endeavours around 2010.

In 2021 Mitsubishi announced plans to relaunch Ralliart, but aside from some styling packs for the Pajero Sport and Triton in Thailand, there’s been no sign of any faster variants of the brand’s core models.

That could change following remarks made by the brand’s local boss expressing a desire for a faster, more rugged Triton to rival the Ford Ranger Raptor.

“Over the product lifecycle we will look at opportunities for broadening the range and that may include possibilities around Ralliart,” Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott said earlier his year.

Full details of the faster and better-handling Triton haven’t been revealed yet, but Mitsubishi hasn’t ruled out employing a new engine for its flagship model, rather than tuning the current ute’s 150kW/470Nm 2.4-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel.

Making the business case trickier for a Triton Ralliart Down Under is the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) that will force car brands to slash their fleet average CO2 emissions by at least 60 per cent between 2025 and 2029.

Meanwhile, back in Europe, similar strict emission standards governing CO2 will also make producing a hotter version of the Renault Clio-based Colt increasingly tough.

Instead, its thought Ralliart could be reintroduced as a performance division specialising in developing fast EVs.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au