It can be said to be the last representative of MITSUBISHI’s RV: Lancer. After the fourth-generation model was officially introduced in December 1993, although it was two years later than the Japanese parent factory, its birth was the first time that China Automobile entered the domestic sedan market. This step carries the unlimited expectations and whole-hearted devotion of all Chinese employees. However, as the Japanese parent factory shifted its focus to SUVs, the development of the new generation was announced to be stopped as early as 2016 by the then president Tetsuro Aikawa, and was replaced by Taiwan’s Chunghwa Motors leading the design with full support from the Japanese parent factory. Continuing its life, it is the seventh-generation Grand Lancer currently on sale.
However, it has recently been reported that due to the shrinking RV market and China Automobile’s decision to free up production capacity for other models, the last white seventh-generation Grand Lancer has officially rolled off the production line, with a total production of 396,957 units.
The LANCER model was originally designed to fill the gap of the small Colt, and was later replaced by the mid-sized Colt Galant. It has a history of more than 50 years since 1973. It has always played the backbone role of Mitsubishi, a car manufacturer, and is also a promoter of new technologies. , such as 1.6 V6, 1.8 V6, GDI power, etc. are all firsts in this mid-sized sedan class. In the event, it entered the WRC World Cross-Country Championship from the very beginning. In the 1990s, the Evolution model was launched from the fourth generation model, carrying forward the Lancer name. It was inextricable from the Subaru Impreza in the event.
Unfortunately, after entering 2000, the sales volume was not as good as before due to the impact of the mother factory’s concealed recall incident, but Mitsubishi still tried to bring the final glory during the alliance with Daimler Chrysler: the seventh-generation Lancer on the GS platform, and the final Evolution X. It is a culmination of Mitsubishi’s past technologies. In the Japanese market, production was first discontinued in 2015 and the sixth generation Lancer was discontinued in 2017. By 2020, only the Taiwan market remains.
In the Taiwan market, the Mitsubishi passenger car name has been established since the Tomny Dolly in the 1980s. After gaining a certain popularity in the market, China Automobile officially introduced the fourth-generation Lancer in December 1993. In order to enhance the image of China Automobile, a series of image advertisements were filmed to convey interactions with families.
Among them, director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s interpretation of “Abba’s Shoulders”: the most important car in life has resonated the most with the public. In 1995, China Automobile also put into production the Lancer five-door station wagon: LIBERO. Since there were no competitors at the same level in the market, it was considered a standout business travel vehicle and was favored by many companies and self-operators.
The fifth-generation model has made even greater progress. It was launched in Taiwan on November 27, 1996, more than a year later. It introduced 1.8 new power to create a new level of distance, INVECS-Ⅱ intelligent evolutionary automatic transmission and four-speed manual transmission Sport Mode. The gearbox appeared, and the Lancer 1.6/Virage 1.8 was launched for the first time. Twin engines with different personalities were launched to seize the market. The “new middle-class RV” and “high-sensitivity RV” suddenly became household names.
After helping China Automobile win the sales championship for six consecutive years (1994-2000), the sixth generation coincided with a period of significant changes in the products of the Japanese parent company. In order to create a new generation of family car image, the Lancer/Lancer/ Virage was born to meet different consumer needs and focuses on “the better future is now”.
In 2003, when Daimler Chrysler took over Mitsubishi, former Mercedes-Benz chief designer Olivier Boulay combined with the design strength of Mitsubishi CARTEC of China to design the Global Lancer that catered to both the global landscape and the tastes of Taiwanese consumers. , allowing China Mitsubishi to realize its concept of “Thinking Global, Action Local” in Taiwan’s automotive industry.
With the debut of the heavily developed seventh-generation Lancer, it once again dazzled the world with its domineering appearance of a “shark head” and received rave reviews even before it was launched. In Taiwan, still combining the design strength of CARTEC Engineering Center, the new Lancer Fortis was officially launched on August 16, 2007. The significantly changed appearance and fully enlarged interior space are undoubtedly the highlights. However, the Lancer FORTIS The biggest selling point is in terms of safety and power.The power of trust” Equipped with a new 2.0 naturally aspirated engine, seven airbags and a new architecture platform, it instantly caused a sensation after being launched in Taiwan.
However, due to the failure of the Japanese parent factory, the Lancer Fortis/io car series has undergone many facelifts in the 7 years since it was launched. Each time, CARTEC spent a lot of effort on the transformation, and together with the Sportback model, it competes in the fiercely competitive mid-size segment. To survive in the car market, but in order to maintain the Lancer name, it can be said that the last Mitsubishi passenger car designed by the CARTEC Engineering Center: the Grand Lancer was finally launched in 2017!
Therefore, the Grand Lancer in the Taiwan market is quite representative. It not only invited the famous Italian Pininfarina design studio to cooperate with Kunimoto Huanbo to integrate Mitsubishi’s existing Dynamic Shield family design style, but also used the original GS platform body structure. , nearly 40 real vehicle crash tests were conducted during the development process, and enhancements and corrections were made based on the test results.
The technology was also very advanced. The “Digital Assistant-IVY” that integrated the GeekWire digital instrument panel and GeekWire digital center console was the best in its class at the time. In addition to the original radio stations, Bluetooth mobile communications, and USB It has multimedia functions such as reading, HDMI mobile phone mirroring, and digital TV. It also provides driving safety assistance such as GPS satellite navigation and reverse imaging. It also adds a voice-activated digital assistant transformed into IVY.
Even though the power is due to environmental regulations, it is replaced with a new generation MIVEC aluminum alloy engine of 1.8 4J10, which has a variable valve lift design and outputs 140hp/17.9kgm power output performance. The maximum torque output timing is slightly advanced to 4200rpm. The overall power performance Basically maintain the same level. The addition of the Jatco CVT8 continuously variable transmission also allows the Grand Lancer to achieve better fuel consumption.
Finally, it goes without saying that the GS platform has a good foundation, and China Automotive has also spent a lot of effort on adjusting the Grand Lancer. The basic configuration of the front MacPherson and rear multi-links focuses on chassis bushings, shock absorbers, and anti-flip bars. The thickness and thickness have also been fully adjusted and evolved. It can be said that China Automobile has injected a high degree of hard work into it in terms of appearance, interior decoration, power and even control.
Unfortunately, as times change, mid-size sedans no longer receive attention in the market. In addition to the king Toyota Corolla Altis, former rivals such as Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, and Luxgen S5 have all withdrawn one by one. Currently, they can still maintain a certain volume and are still in demand. The only one that can compete with it is the Nissan Sentra (a minor facelift will be launched this month). This has also made China Automobile intend to stop production. However, before that, China Automobile was very willing to adjust it to the six-phase environmental protection regulations to allow it to It can be extended until 2024.
After the last Grand Lancar is discontinued, dealers still have some inventory available for sale. Once all are sold, it will be officially removed from the official website, so if you like Lancer and want to buy a mid-sized RV at a reasonable price Readers, hurry up!
2024-04-01 08:28:26
#produced #years #generations #total #units #Mitsubishis #legendary #car #series #Lancer #officially #rolls #assembly #line #CarStuff #people #cars
