SPY PICS: Baby Mitsubishi softroader here next year

Mitsubishi is poised to release a small, hatchback-style softroader designed to compete with the city-bound Nissan Dualis and Volkswagen Tiguan. First unveiled as the cX Concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show these spy shots show the car looking close to production ready.

Our international agency, Carparazzi, nabbed this prototype on the road in Switzerland this week but the production vehicle (or at least a thinly veiled concept) is due to break cover at this month's Tokyo motor show. Looking larger than the pint-sized concept, the spied cX appears to sport Mitsubishi's new 'Jet Fighter' grille and trademark angular headlights. It is likely the five-seater will be based on the same platform the underpins the Lancer.

Mitsubishi Australia has indicated the car is due to arrive in the first six months of next year but is keeping the exact timing and pricing up its sleeve. One detail we do know is what it won't be called: the iO. Apparently Mitsubishi wants to stay away from the name of the vehicle that looked like a scaled down Pajero three-door 4WD.

Here's what we've managed to learn so far: it will be available with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 1.8-litre super-efficient diesel. And customers will have a choice of a 2WD -- or a 4WD variant which can also be driven in 2WD-only mode. Mitsubishi's baby softroader is likely to cost between $25,000 and $30,000, undercutting the larger Outlander and a lot of the competition.

Meanwhile, those holding out for a diesel-powered Outlander may need to wait a little longer yet. According to well placed sources inside Mitsubishi Australia, a diesel Outlander is at least a year away, possibly even 18 months.

Apparently Mitsubishi Australia has a choice of two super-efficient, new generation turbo diesel engines: a 2.0-litre and a 2.2-litre. The 2.0-litre is said to have more than enough power, but Mitsubishi is also considering a possible marketing advantage with the 2.2.

By the time the Outlander diesel arrives in local showrooms, there will likely be a number of diesels in the compact softroader class, including under the bonnet of the segment leader, the Subaru Forester. When asked by the Carsales Network to clarify any of the rumours, the president and CEO of Mitsubishi Australia Robert McEniry declined to comment.

-- with staff

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