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.
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First generation (A70; 1973)
The first Lancer (A70) 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 (built until replaced by the front-wheel drive Lancer/Mirage Van in March 1984). 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 (New Zealand) 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.
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, a smaller 1.2-liter engine version of the Lancer EX was also available in the New Zealand market, popular in the fleet market. 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 (1439 cc) 4G33 engine, inherited from the previous generation Lancer (never offered in the country) 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 première 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 (ECI).
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 (1981–1983). 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 (1979–1987). 1600 GT – The lowest-cost sporting variant with 1.6-litre engine (1979–1983). 1600 XL – Powered by the same 1.6-litre engine as the 1600 GT, also available with a three-speed automatic transmission (1979–1987). 1800 GSR – Similar to the 1600 GT but with a 1.8-litre engine (1981–1984). 1800 SE – Powered by a 1.8-litre engine and available with a 5 speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic transmission (1981–1983). 1800 GSR Turbo – Performance model powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine producing , with aesthetic upgrades (1981–1983). 1800 GT Turbo – Same as the GSR Turbo, but with a different body trim (1981–1983). 1800 GSR Turbo Intercooler – Intercooler version of the first turbo version, producing and with cosmetic changes (1983–1987). 1800 GT Turbo Intercooler – Same as the GSR Turbo Intercooler, again with different body trim (1983–1987). 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 (1983–1987).
Engines Power rating: JIS (gross) = Japanese marketDIN (net) = Export market
4G63T ECI turbocharged SOHC 1997 cc inline-four, & (DIN)
G62BT ECI turbocharged with intercooler "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, & (JIS) ECI turbocharged "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, & (JIS)
G62B Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1795 cc inline-four, & (JIS)
G32B Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1597 cc inline-four, & (JIS)
4G32 Carburetor SOHC 1597 cc inline-four high compression (9.5:1), & (DIN) Carburetor SOHC 1597 cc inline-four low compression (8.5:1), & (DIN)
4G33 Carburetor SOHC 1439 cc inline-four, & (JIS) / & (DIN)
G12B Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1410 cc inline-four, & (JIS)
4G12 Carburetor SOHC 1410 cc inline-four, & (DIN)
G11B Carburetor "MCA-Jet" SOHC 1244 cc inline-four, & (JIS)
4G11 Carburetor SOHC 1244 cc inline-four, & (DIN)
Third to seventh generations (1982–2003: Mirage-based Lancers)
Between 1982 and 2003, the Lancer was derived from the subcompact front-wheel-drive Mirage. In Japan, the Mirage was sold through the Car Plaza dealership network, while the Lancer was relocated to the Galant Store channel—until both networks merged in 2002. Differences between the two models were minimal, primarily confined to grille designs and trim levels. Although naming conventions varied, for all generations, sedan versions of the Mirage were typically badged as Lancer in export markets, although notably not in the United States.
Mitsubishi had originally launched the Mirage in 1978 as a hatchback—itself sold in many export markets under the name Colt, with a sedan variant later released in 1982. With the launch of the newly established Galant Store, a twin version of the Mirage sedan with minor differences was marketed as "Lancer Fiore". The Fiore suffix was given to differentiate it from the older rear-wheel-drive Lancers which were sold in the same sales channel until 1987. Internationally, the Lancer Fiore often sold under the abbreviated name "Lancer F" (in most European markets, for example). In most regions, the Lancer Fiore featured Mirage-style horizontal grilles; conversely, in Australia and New Zealand, the actual Lancer Fiore (with its distinct honeycomb grille) was sold under the Colt and Mirage nameplates, respectively.
The fourth generation Lancer was launched in 1983 and still marketed with Fiore suffix in Japan. Initially, both models looks too similar to each other, prompting Mitsubishi to issue a facelift featuring revised grille for Mirage. A station wagon/van variant joined the lineup in 1985 to replace the original 1973 model–available until 1992. In Indonesia, both the sedan and five-door hatchback were unique in sharing the "Lancer FF" badge, whereas most export markets received the hatchback as the Colt (with a grille from Lancer). Meanwhile, New Zealand continued marketing the Lancer as the Mirage sedan, and the United States began receiving Mirage-badged Lancers from the 1987 through 2002 model years.
The third-generation Mirage debuted in Japan in 1987, followed in 1988 by the fifth generation Lancer, which was sold locally only as a five-door liftback and dropped the Fiore suffix–sold until 1996 in Australia and New Zealand. In export markets, however, the sedan retained the Lancer nameplate. In Australia, the hatchback was badged as a Lancer because the original Mirage (sold there as the Colt) remained on sale until 1990.