Mitsubishi to unveil spruced up Lancer, Cedia

Close on the heels of launching the much-awaited Outlander in India, Japanese major Mitsubishi Motors is now looking at unveiling new variants of its Lancer and Cedia models. The company had unveiled Outlander in India, a few days after its debut globally.

Would this new Lancer be on the lines of the latest version of the car available abroad? Or would it at least get a bit more sophisticated? Would the design of the new Indian Mitsubishi Lancer resemble that of the Mitsubishi EVO? Questions, questions.

We are a bit skeptical of how much of an improvement the new Lancer would tuirn out to be. Mitsubishi, in the past, has been extremely lethargic in introducing new models in India even as the market expanded. The current Mitsubishi Lancer in India was initially a big hit, especially in South India. However, nothing much changed over the course of a decade apart from minor cosmetic changes which, in some cases, were worse than the design of the original Mitsubishi Lancer. A solid car with rally-bred genes and superb reliability, even hatchbacks and diesels beat the horsepower ratings of the Lancer a few years after its launch.

When the Mitsubishi Cedia was launched in India, expectations were high – however, not many liked its styling, and not many thought the soft looks and middle of the road horsepower ratings were impressive. Sales never really took off for the Cedia either in India.

If Outlander is a crossover sport utility vehicle, priced at Rs 20.20 lakh rolled out of the company’s Chennai plant; the Lancer and Cedia models fall in the sedan space . However, of late the company had seen sharp decline in the sales of these too models and is now planning to go for spruced up versions of the sedans. As of the now the company has made its presence stronger in the SUV segment with Outlander joining the likes of its Pajero and Montero.

The company brass said that they are currently working on new models of Lancer and Cedia and will unveil them at the appropriate time. The Mitsubishi Lancer, Cedia and Pajero are assembled in India at the Hindustan Motor plants as per a manufacturing and marketing arrangement between the two automotive majors.

The Mitsubishi Cedia comes with a two-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that offers a peak power of 115 PS and a maximum torque of 175 Nm. The car’s top speed is 180 kmph. Dual air bags, an anti-lock braking system and electronic brake force distribution add to the safety aspects. The new spruced up version is likely to add to these features in a bid to offer more for the customer in a crowded market place

Dwindling sales being the reason for the new reworked strategy, the Mitsubishi hopes to check the slide with the arrival of the new enhanced versions of Lancer and Cedia. According to an industry news source, the automotive major is also planning to launch a new product in the commercial vehicle segment. Mitsubshi once used to boast of a vehicle in the segment by the name RTV. Hoever, it had to shut production later on. Currently, the company is looking at going back to the segment and is likely to roll out a new product in the segment in the next six to eight weeks time.