Frankfurt Motor Show 2005 - Mitsubishi

What's the star of the stand?
A beefy, high-performance hatchback called the Concept Sportback.

The company's very clear about its intentions for the design study, telling us it will become both the latest model in the thrilling string of Evo cars and the next-generation Lancer small family cars.

A huge air intake at the front and large rear spoiler give a taste of the things to come in performance department.

Soften off the flared wheel arches and you're left with the profile of the next Lancer, which will be sold as a hatchback and, eventually, a saloon.

Both arrive early in 2007 to better link the family car with is racy equivalent. Expect to pay from around £11,500 for the Lancer and over £30,000 for the fastest of the Evo series.

They say
'Concept Sportback's dynamic and expressive design vocabulary distances it from the mainstream hatchback crowd. Its coupe-like window hits all the right emotional buttons.'

We say
They've got a point. It's a good-looking car that could do great things for the Mitsubishi brand.

What else is there?
Nothing we haven't seen before. The Colt CZ2 cabriolet, which goes on sale next spring, is the next most interesting thing after the concept, but it made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

Any gossip?
Mitsubishi is still testing 200bhp version of its Colt supermini. Bosses in the UK are convinced the project should go ahead, but issues surrounding warranties need to be successfully thrashed out with bigwigs in Japan if it's to become a showroom reality.