New Mitsubishi Space Star here in autumn

10 June 2002: The new - or rather greatly revitalised - Mitsubishi Space Star set to arrive here in October, points to a new horizon for the Japanese company.

Irish customers will have a choice of three engine options.

Rescued by DaimlerChrysler, who now own 37.3% of the company, Mitsubishi is now back in profitability. And bullish about the future! That future promises over 300,000 unit sales in Europe in 2003 (213,000 in 2001) and 12 new product launches over the next 5 years, starting with the European version of the Airtrek / Outlander crossover station wagon (codenamed NQZ) in April 2003. Highlight of the Mitsubishi renaissance are the three new models pencilled in for January, February and March unveilings to herald a busy start to the 2004 campaign.

Many of the new models, Daniel Nacass, General Manager of Mitsubishi Public Relations Europe told a select band of Irish motoring journalists at the European launch of the radically uprated Space Star “will be niche crossover models, all imbued with a real sporty flair, consumer-oriented engineering, readily recognisable designs - and all will bear the famed Mitsubishi quality hallmark.”

While not one of the twelve new models, the Mitsubishi’s Space Star will come with “no fewer than twenty major bumper to bumper changes - and at no extra cost for the 1.3 litre entry-level model,“ we were told by Paddy Murphy, general manager of Mitsubishi Motors Ireland.

Three engine options will be offered to Irish customers. Two, the 82 bhp 1.3 and the 98 bhp 1.6 litre are petrol powered MPi rather than Gdi plants.

The third is a powerful and refined 1.9 litre turbo-charged and intercooled direct injection diesel mill sourced from Renault - delivering 119 mph, a zero to 62 mph time of 10.5 seconds and an estimated combined fuel consumption: 5.5 litres / 100 km, together with an expected torque figure of 265 Nm between 1,800 and 2,500 rpm.

The updated / uprated Space Star is ‘a substantial revision rather than a mere facelift’. Mitsubishi designers have completely changed the Space Star’s overall appearance through some very smart detailing,

The Space Star now has a look that’s much sharper and more in tune with the revived sportiness of the Mitsubishi name.

June 2002