Horsing around? 2023 Mitsubishi Colt revealed but will this Renault Clio-based hatchback make it to Australia to take on MG3 and Kia Rio?

Mitsubishi has revealed its reborn Colt light hatchback, but it will be very familiar to anyone interested in French cars.

As part of its ‘leader-follower’ product strategy under the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Mitsubishi is borrowing models from French arm Renault for sale in Europe.

The first evidence of this was the European-market ASX, which is a rebadged Renault Captur.

Read More About Mitsubishi Colt

Renault Captur? Almost, it's the new 2023 Mitsubishi ASX, but Australian plans are absent Say goodbye to passenger cars! Mitsubishi Australia believes hatchbacks and sedans 'are history' Return of the Colt! Mitsubishi's long-gone light hatch to return with hybrid and plug-in hybrid power, but will the Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2 rival come to Australia?

Now the Japanese carmaker has uncovered the Colt, which is based on the facelifted version of the Renault Clio.

Many will remember the Colt name from Mitsubishi’s back catalogue - it was a model the company sold in Australia in the 1960s, but was then reborn as a popular hatch and sedan from 1980 to 1990. It was reborn again in 2004 and ran until 2011, spawning a Ralliart version and a cabriolet.

After a 12 year break, it is back again. But don’t expect to see it battling the likes of the MG3 and Kia Rio in Australia’s light hatch segment.

Mitsubishi Australia has ruled out the model as it focuses on SUVs and light-commercial vehicles.

After a 12 year break, the Mitsubishi Colt is back again.

1 / 2

The Colt features a 7.0-inch touchscreen which can be increased to a 9.3-inch display if you upgrade.

2 / 2

The key difference between the two models is that the Colt gains Mitsubishi’s ‘Dynamic Shield’ front-end design, with interesting results. It’s quite fussy and takes away from the simplicity of the Clio’s face.

Under the skin, the Colt uses Renault powertrains, including a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine offering 49kW/95Nm in the base grade, as well as a turbocharged 1.0-litre unit pumping out 67kW/160Nm.

The flagship Colt grade uses a hybrid powertrain that combines a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol and electric motor with a combined output of 105kW.

In the very familiar interior, features include a 7.0-inch touchscreen which can be increased to a 9.3-inch display if you upgrade, two USB ports, a wireless charging pad, a nine-speaker Bose sound system, and a digital instrument cluster in 7.0 or 10-inch guise.