The Mitsubishi Lancer is a 4-door sedan from Mitsubishi, built from 1973 to 2024, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. Under the bonnet: 1244 . Aldo Sessano of Carrozzeria Fissore / Fissore (design) / Rakuzo Mitamura (engineering) drew it.
The story
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.
What is underneath
Power comes from 1244 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 895 -. It shifts through a 4-speed manual / 5-speed manual / 3-speed automatic. The wheelbase is 2440 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Mitsubishi Colt 1200/1500; assembly was at Okazaki, Aichi. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Volkswagen Passat, the Lancia Stratos, the Jeep Cherokee — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Mitsubishi catalogue sit the Mitsubishi 360 and the Mitsubishi L300 wagon.
What it costs now
The money question first: $5,800–$14,000 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,173–$7,279 a year. Insurance sits around $960–$1,650 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.