Everyone else is making Ralliart happen, when will Mitsubishi Australia? Overseas dealer releases motorsport-inspired Colt Ralliart hot hatch continuation, but it's no Hyundai i20 N Volkswagen Polo GTI rival

A Czech dealer has revealed a special edition Mitsubishi Colt small car that channels Ralliart vibes. 

In other markets, Mitsubishi isn’t scared to trot out the Ralliart name, with South East Asia markets getting stickered-up versions of the Pajero Sport, Triton and other models. Like those, don’t expect this Colt for Australia.  

Known as the Performance edition, the Clio-based Mitsubishi Colt isn’t exactly the hottest hatch on the block, with a dyno verified 96kW and 222Nm at the wheels. Phwoah.

That’s the sort of grunt that would’ve had a 199X Suzuki Swift GTi sweating, but not the current hot hatch establishment. The similar-size Hyundai i20 N and Volkswagen Polo GTI pack at least 50 per cent more punch. 

There are some good aspects to the hot Colt, such as a six-speed manual transmission and light 1097kg kerb weight. It features high-end 18-inch OZ Racing Superturismo GT wheels, too. Further details, such as price and run-size, have not been revealed. 

Compared to the last Colt Ralliart, sold in Australia between 2006 and 2010, the stats are pretty promising, that vehicle putting out 113kW and 210Nm from its turbo-petrol four-banger and weighing 1130kg. It was good for a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.0 seconds. 

There are no suspension changes for this Mitsubishi Czech special, though, not even lowering springs. It’s more of an appearance pack than a full transformation and that means there’s absolutely zero likelihood of coming to Australia. 

The new Clio on which the Colt is based isn’t sold in Oz and the Colt certainly isn’t. Additionally, Mitsubishi Australia has previously turned down similar performance versions as it wants “to do [Ralliart’s] heritage justice.”

"We are asking for a Ralliart," Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott told CarsGuide at the Triton ute’s launch in March, also suggesting a vehicle like that would be popular in other markets such as South Africa. 

"So the fact that we are there, and that we are in Ralliart and that we are racing the vehicle I think does open up an opportunity for us to look at performance enhancement in the future potentially around the vehicle." 

Ralliart’s reboot is in the works. Don’t expect it to be half-baked but hopefully it’s here soon.