Mitsubishi Lancer


The Mitsubishi [|Lancer] is an automobile that was produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors from 1973 until 2024.
The Lancer has been marketed as the Colt Lancer, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times, and has been sold as the Mitsubishi Galant Fortis in Japan since 2007. It has also been sold as Mitsubishi Lancer Fortis in Taiwan with a different facelift than the Galant Fortis. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Car Plaza.
Between its introduction in 1973 and 2008, over six million units were sold. There have been ten generations of Lancers.
Mitsubishi ended production of the Lancer in August 2017 worldwide, with the exception of Taiwan. An extensive facelift was given to the car by Pininfarina's Chinese offices. Production in Taiwan ended in 2024, marking the end of the Lancer nameplate after 51 years.

First generation (A70; 1973)

The first Lancer was launched in February 1973. It served to fill the gap between the Minica kei car and the larger Galant. The sporting 1600 GSR model began the Lancer's long and successful rally history, winning the Safari Rally twice and the Southern Cross Rally four times.
There were four body styles, two- and four-door sedans, a two-door hardtop coupe and a long-running five-door station wagon. Engines were different 1.2-liter, 1.4-liter, and 1.6-liter fours.
This car was marketed under a variety of names: Dodge Colt in the United States, Plymouth Colt in Canada, Dodge Lancer in some Latin American countries, Chrysler Valiant Lancer in Australia, and Colt Lancer in some European markets.

Celeste

In February 1975, the Lancer was complemented by a hatchback called the Lancer Celeste, succeeding the Galant FTO. It was also called the Mitsubishi Celeste or Colt Celeste in some markets; and sold as the Chrysler Lancer in Australia, the Dodge Lancer Celeste in El Salvador, the Plymouth Arrow in the United States, and the Dodge Arrow in Canada.
Four-door Lancer assembly began in New Zealand in 1975, supplementing the larger English Hillman Avengers also built locally by importer Todd Motors. The Celeste was imported built-up from Japan initially and assembly of a single 1.6- liter, manual transmission model began in 1978 followed by a minor facelift about a year later.
The Celeste was originally available with 1.4- and 1.6-liter options, while a bigger 2.0-liter model was added later. An even larger 2.6-liter four was available in the US-market Plymouth Fire Arrow. The Celeste was facelifted in 1978, receiving square headlights and bigger squarer bumpers. Production of the Lancer Celeste ended in July 1981 and it was replaced by the front-wheel drive Cordia in early 1982.

Second generation (EX/A170; 1979)

In 1979, the Lancer EX was presented in Japan. Its revised styling with integrated plastic bumpers reflected that of the recently introduced Galant and Sapporo.
This generation is only available as 4-door sedan, while the previous generation Celeste coupé and wagon/van were continued for a few more years. More spacious, it grew in all dimensions. Only two engines were offered at first, a 1.4-litre MCA-Jet equipped engine paired with Mitsubishi's Silent Shaft Technology, which generated and a 1.6-litre engine that generated. The MCA-Jet system was an entirely new concept when compared with the previously used carburetor system. The MCA stands for Mitsubishi Clean Air which meant that the EX passed both Japan and US emission standards, while the new cylinder head design of the engine gave way for a Jet valve which introduced an extra swirl of air to the combustion chamber, swirling the fuel-air mixture for a cleaner, efficient and more thorough burn.Another innovation in the Lancer lineup was marketed as Silent Shaft Technology, consisting of two counterbalancing shafts that rotated in opposite directions, cancelling the power pulses inherent in an inline four-cylinder engine. This reduced both engine noise and vibration, and provided a smoother driving experience. The 1.8-litre Sirius 80 engines were then introduced in the Lancer in 1980, expanding the Lancer's range of engines. Also, a turbocharged, engine was added in 1980 for sportier performance, and an intercooler system was also integrated in the existing turbocharged engine to produce in 1983.
In 1980, The Lancer EX was introduced with a 1.8-litre turbocharged inline-four option known as the 1800GSR and GT Turbo. The first generation 1800GSR and GT were only available with a turbocharged, non-intercooled.New Zealand importer Todd Motors assembled the new Lancer EX from 1980 with 1.6-liter carburetor gasoline engine and a choice of manual or automatic transmission. The model was also a popular base for rally cars in that market, with some success. It was replaced by the front-drive Tredia in 1982 with the Cordia coupé equivalent effectively replacing the earlier Celeste.
This generation was manufactured locally in Indonesia by Mitsubishi's partner, PT. Krama Yudha Kesuma Motor at their plant in Jakarta. Unique for this market, this generation was fitted with a 1.4-litre 4G33 engine, inherited from the previous generation Lancer and possibly the only market that received this engine in this generation. It was only offered with a single trim called SL.

Europe

In Europe, the Lancer EX sold well as its restrained styling better matched the desires of European buyers than its somewhat fussy predecessor. Other considerations concerned handling and also the demand for more passenger room, as Mitsubishi tailored the Lancer towards European consumers. It went on sale locally after making its European premier at the 1979 Frankfurt Show.
Unlike in Japan at the time of introduction, European buyers could get a 1.2-litre option which suited local tax conditions. This engine later did become available in Japan as well, beginning in May 1981, but was discontinued in 1983 after the introduction of the smaller Lancer Fiore. Claimed outputs in Europe were lower than in the domestic market because of the net rating, with the 1200, 1400, and 1600 being good for respectively. Here, the Lancer EX was also offered with a turbocharged 2.0-litre SOHC engine, known as the Lancer EX2000 Turbo. It achieved a maximum output of and managed a top speed of. This model was equipped with Electronically Controlled Injection.
A rally version of the Lancer 2000 Turbo was made and homologated for Group 4 and Group B, made out. At home, sales of the turbo model were low because of emission regulations Japan imposed at that time.

Japan

While exports were generally halted in 1983, this generation continued to be available alongside the Mirage-based, front-wheel drive Lancer Fiore until 1987 in Japan.
  • 1200 Custom, GL – Powered by a 1.2-liter engine, with a four or five-speed manual transmission.
  • 1400 EL, GL, SL – Same as the 1200 but with a 1.4-litre engine option. The EL was the lowest priced version with very little equipment.
  • 1600 GT – The lowest-cost sporting variant with 1.6-litre engine.
  • 1600 XL – Powered by the same 1.6-litre engine as the 1600 GT, also available with a three-speed automatic transmission.
  • 1800 GSR – Similar to the 1600 GT but with a 1.8-litre engine.
  • 1800 SE – Powered by a 1.8-litre engine and available with a 5 speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic transmission.
  • 1800 GSR Turbo – Performance model powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine producing, with aesthetic upgrades.
  • 1800 GT Turbo – Same as the GSR Turbo, but with a different body trim.
  • 1800 GSR Turbo Intercooler – Intercooler version of the first turbo version, producing and with cosmetic changes.
  • 1800 GT Turbo Intercooler – Same as the GSR Turbo Intercooler, again with different body trim.
  • 1800 GSL Turbo – Same as the GSR Turbo Intercooler, only it used the engine from the GSR/GT Turbo, and equipped with a three-speed automatic transmission, and with a more luxurious interior along with an AM/FM multi-cassette stereo system.

    Engines

JIS = Japanese market
DIN = Export market
4G63T
  • ECI turbocharged SOHC 1997 cc inline-four, &
G62BT
  • ECI turbocharged with intercooler "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, &
  • ECI turbocharged "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, &
G62B
  • Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, &
G32B
  • Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1597 cc inline-four, &
4G32
  • Carburetor SOHC 1597 cc inline-four high compression, &
  • Carburetor SOHC 1597 cc inline-four low compression, &
4G33
  • Carburetor SOHC 1439 cc inline-four, & / &
G12B
  • Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1410 cc inline-four, &
4G12
  • Carburetor SOHC 1410 cc inline-four, &
G11B
  • Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1244 cc inline-four, &
4G11
  • Carburetor SOHC 1244 cc inline-four, &

    Third to seventh generations (1982–2003: Mirage-based Lancers)

Between 1982 and 2003, the Lancer in Japan derived from the subcompact Mirage—itself sold in many export markets under the name Colt. Mitsubishi had originally launched the Mirage in 1978 as a front-wheel drive hatchback, with a sedan variant later released in 1982—and a version of which sold in Japan as Lancer Fiore. Five generations of Mirage were manufactured by Mitsubishi up until 2003, with new generations released in 1983 and 1987, 1991 to 1995. It was not until 1988—with the 1979 to 1987 Lancer now departed—that the Mirage-based Lancer eschewed the Fiore suffix in the home market.
Between 1982 and 1987, the aforementioned Mirage sedan with minor styling modifications sold as the Lancer Fiore through Japanese retail channels. The Fiore spanned two generations, the second of which came to the market in 1983. Internationally, the Fiore sedan often sold under the abbreviated name Lancer, and sometimes as the "Lancer F". Thus, with the rear-wheel drive Lancer as introduced in 1979 and the front-wheel drive Lancer Fiore, Mitsubishi had two similarly sized models competing in the same market segment, sometimes even while sharing the Lancer badge.
Although naming conventions varied, for all generations, sedan versions of the Mirage were typically badged as Lancer in export markets such as the Philippines, although notably not in the United States. In Japan, sedan variants of the Mirage and Lancer sold alongside one another with minor differences in trim. The station wagon, part of the 1983 and 1991 iterations, was typically known as the Lancer in export markets. Likewise, the Mirage coupe variant, available with the 1991 and 1995 generations, also became part of the Lancer lineup in some regions. The 1983 generation also spawned a licence built derivative in the form of the Malaysian built Proton Saga.
Mitsubishi introduced replacements for the Mirage starting in 2000, with a new generation of Lancer sedan—now larger and having moved up to the compact segment. Then in 2002, a subcompact five-door hatchback badged Colt internationally became available, thus substituting the Mirage hatchback. By 2003, the Mirage had been completely phased out of mainstream Japanese production and Lancer became the primary title for Mitsubishi's compact offerings.