Mini hot stuff from Mitsubishi

The spokesmodels were dressed the same as Sydney' but Mitsubishi added extra flare in the form of two hot Colts, an all-new Triton and new city car concept in Melbourne.

That said, even the hot fours weren't enough to deflect the heat from Mitsubishi head honcho Rob McEniry who spent much of his question time with media defending the company's recently launched 380 large car.

The hotties and new stuff first...

Two stunning 1.5-litre turbocharged Colt variants grabbed the limelight at Mitsubishi's two-tiered stand in Melbourne --  a coupe-cabriolet, jointly developed with Pininfarina, and the long-awaited Ralliart five-door complete with works rally team upgrades including sports suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels and gumball tyres.

Based on the five-door Colt platform and therefore delivering 2+2 seating, the Colt coupe-cabriolet has just begun production in Turin, Italy. Expect it to debut Down Under before year's end.

Based on the 'stock' Colt Ralliart which will also be released later this year, the Ralliart display car featured a swag of aftermarket Ralliart perfomance goodies. Boasting a 0-100km/h time of less than 8sec, the hot hatch featured sports exhaust, lowered suspension and big brakes. Cosmetic upgrades on the show car include bodykit and dress-up goodies inside and out.

Meantime, Mitsubishi's tiny concept car, the 'i' which was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show four months ago was displayed at Melbourne: "in order to gauge public reaction with a view for a future introduction to Australia".

The 'i' (as prompt for 'innovative', 'imaginative', 'intelligent') is powered by a 600cc three-cylinder intercooled, turbocharged MIVEC engine positioned rear midship. The engine is located under the floor just forward of the rear driving wheels to increase interior room.

Also appearing for the first time at Melbourne was the all-new Triton crewcab -- ahead of its mid-year arrival with a choice of petrol V6 or turbodiesel powerplants. There was also a limited edition Pajero VRX which features dress-up goodies inside and out and goes on sale in March. Again there's a choice of turbodiesel and petrol engines and four colour options. It's priced from $49,990 and sports, umm, err.. interesting headlamp treatment.

Even the works rally team fettled Evo IX was overshadowed, however, by the 380 -- or at least discussion about the  success or otherwise of the well-proportioned and well-equipped sedan.

Mitsubishi chief, Rob McEniry, fielded a bevy of questions from the media after the unveiling of a 'value-added' 380LE (Limited Edition). Featuring alloy wheels, body and interior upgrades, rear park assist and Bluetooth phone kit, the LE is priced from $29,990 -- $4000 below the 'entry-level' 380.

"We're taking action as you can see," McEniry told the assembled pack when quizzed on the 380's lacklustre sales. "[The LE] is the first of a few initiatives." McEniry termed the new variant the start a relaunch program for the 380.