Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback 5-door with up to 237HP Coming to U.S. this Summer

It's official; Mitsubishi has confirmed that the all-new five-door Lancer Sportback will arrive in U.S. dealerships this summer as a 2010 model year. Though one would expect the opposite, the 5-door Sportback's overall length is actually slightly longer than the Lancer four-door sedan. The Sportback will be offered in the States in two trims, the GTS model fitted with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 168-hp, mated to either a five-speed manual or six-speed CVT automatic transmission, and the one that most of us are interested in, the Ralliart version powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine pumping out 237-hp and 253 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Lancer Sportback Ralliart will come with the EVO's all-wheel control (AWC) with Active Center Differential (ACD) and six-speed Twin Clutch-Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST). Pricing and detailed information on the U.S.-spec Lancer Sportback will be announced nearer to its summer on-sale date.

Mitsubishi's Lancer Sportback "Birds and Bees" TV Ad too Spicy for Toddlers

In Europe, Mitsubishi has no problem being a tad provocative when it comes to getting the attention of buyers. As the company itself admits, even its vehicle names have turned a few heads, such as the 'FQ' badges to be found on the 'F***ing Quick' Lancer Evolution range. Now, Mitsubishi has readied a new spicy and in our opinion, humorous TV advert for the Lancer, called "Bees and Birds." The ad is due to air in the UK on Monday 9th February.

According to Mitsubishi, Clearcast, the company that is responsible for the pre-transmission examination and clearance of UK TV advertisements, has not approved the ad to be shown on TV before 9 o'clock. It goes without saying that Mitsubishi's intention was to create a bit of a buzz with the advert.

Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi's Director of Sales and Marketing said that, "Clearcast thought that the light-hearted innuendo throughout the ad could be seen as inappropriate � especially for younger viewers. We are happy to have the TV ad shown after the 9 o'clock watershed."