MITSUBISHI WILL broaden its Colt line with the introduction of the CZC, a
convertible that features a retractable hard top. It will be built by Pininfarina
in Bairo, Italy; production begins in April.
The sporty Colt CZC coupe-cabriolet is
a beauty.
On the concept car, each 20-inch wheel houses a 27-hp, in-hub motor powered by a lithium-ion battery positioned beneath the car's floor. The internal space has been enhanced by the use of
a retractable steering wheel, drive-by-wire
technology and power folding seats.
The car was designed in close collaboration between Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Design Europe and legendary Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. The 2006 Colt CZC echoes Mitsubishi Motors' first ever show car, the Colt 600 Convertible, unveiled at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show.
Unique to the European market, Colt CZC is built off the Colt hatchback platform, rather than the shorter Colt coupé for packaging purposes
while sharing the class leading 2.50m long wheelbase that is common to all Colts.
This allowed the adoption of a retractable
hard-top as dictated by the market while offering the much appreciated extra space/storage/seating arrangement of a 2+2, as well as a capacious trunk.
MOST POWERFUL ENGINE
Sitting on its long wheelbase and wide tracks, Colt CZC delivers the dynamics on the road that are promised by its purposeful styling. This is thanks to a strong and reinforced bodyshell (to compensate the absence of a structural roof) and the 150 ps 1.5 litre MIVEC turbo-charged engine shared with the Colt CZT that delivers a 202 km/h top speed and 8.4 seconds 0-100 km/h acceleration. This will be the most powerful engine offered by any such B-segment coupé-cabriolet (i.e.: with a retractable hard-top).
DRIVING DYNAMICS
The car's specifically tuned chassis also adds
to its great driving dynamics.
Production of the Colt CZC is scheduled to
start at Pininfarina's Bairo plant, near Turin (Italy), on March 7th.
Pininfarina will source the platform and the Colt family carry-over components from Mitsubishi Motors' NedCar plant in Born (The Netherlands). Pininfarina will focus on providing the specific structural reinforcement for the coupe-cabriolet conversion and the body-in-white assembly, painting the body and following trimming and final assembly with unique parts and NedCar-sourced mechanical components.
Colt CZC will reach European customers during the second quarter of 2006.
Sources: www.autonews.com, www.gizmag.com and www.car-reviews.automobile.com
