Hot on the heels of the all-new Lancer family, comes the next generation Colt sporting its signature "Jet Fighter" grille.

Depending upon the market, the next generation Colt will be launched in Europe in October or November 2008.

As the junior of a family with a strong sporting heritage, the next generation Colt gets closer to its sharp Lancer siblings introducing a refreshed exterior design.

Trading the MPV-like high stance of its predecessor for a lower and wider attitude, the most obvious change is the rather in-your-face full "Jet Fighter" grille together with all-new body panels fore the A-pillar.

Then there are the "muscular" contours of the front fenders and the complementing "samurai-like" new headlamps, all inspired by the new Lancer and all contributing to a stronger on-road presence, but also to an improved level of pedestrian safety.

The side view offers a more elongated window line thanks to black sash foils applied on the C- and D-pillars (D-pillar only for five-door body) and blacked-out sills.

And a new rear end design for the five-door body (wrap-around and slimmer back-light, lower rear combination lamps, new liftgate stamping, more elaborated bumper) visually lowers and widens the car considerably. Changes at the rear of the distinctive three-door body consist essentially in a new bumper and new (dark finish) lamp housings.

New wheels complement the new exterior design, including dark finish dual five-spokes for the two Ralliart variants, reminiscent of the 2009 Lancer Ralliart's but also of traditional Japanese sports sedan of the '60s and '70s starting with Mitsubishi's own 1973 Lancer 1600 GSR.

The new Colt comes with one of three petrol engines. The 1.1-litre produces 55kW at 6000rpm, 100Nm at 4000 rpm and is good for a top speed of 165km/h. The 1.3-litre unit pumps out 69kW and 125Nm for a top speed of 180km/h, while the 1.5-litre lump comes in with figures of 80kW, 145Nm and 190km/h.

While no diesel mills are in the offing, Mitsubishi has developed for Colt a series of "Low CO2" solutions. Under the umbrella name of Clear Tec, they will be launched in 2009.

Also new are the comfort levels.

NVH (Noise – Vibration – Harshness) has been reduced.

There's subtle "Quadrat" graining for the black upper padding of the dashboard together with higher quality seat material. This trim dresses up a redesigned dashboard where numerous elements are now shared with the Lancer family, better integrated components, whilst the overall youthful feeling of the previous Colt provided by light blue translucent elements has been toned down using a combination of dark and silver finish instead.

New features include cruise control, Emergency Stop Signal System, "Coming home" lighting, AUX plug in audio unit or gear shift indicator.

And lastly, mirroring Lancer Sportback's claim ("a lot of style + a bit of flexibility"), the next generation Colt makes better use of its interior space with the introduction of new features to increase its flexibility such as a full flat floor (now, without removing the rear seats) and an adjustable cargo floor height leading to an increased cargo volume (from 854l for the previous Colt to 1032l now).