The Mitsubishi Lancer has certainly grown rather long in the tooth. Made in India by Hindustan Motors (HM), it’s been around for some years now, though not as long as HM’s other war horse, the good old Ambassador. HM has made it a habit to go on churning out the same car day after day, week after week, year in and year out. Remember the Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3, Mark 4, Nova and Regent versions of the Ambassador?

The same was attempted with the Mitsubishi Lancer when the supposedly new-look Lancer was made to appear bigger artificially and with a big chrome grille that must have had the designer of the original Lancer and the magnificent Evo series of rally cars, looking to commit suicide. The SFX though, was an attempt at making a sporty-looking version (inside it was bog standard with hardly any tweaks to either the engine or the handling) which had a body kit complete with spoilers. The problem was that the Lancer was and still is perceived and projected as a high-end luxury executive saloon in India. After all, how could a sombre high-level executive be seen in a car painted in shades of flashy red and yellow ? colours which seemed to be ideally suited to a boy racer?

But Lancer fans need not fret for there’s good news yet. At long last, the company is unveiling a new model, to be launched either by the end of this year or early 2006. It’s been in the wind for quite a while that Mitsubishi will be launching a new car and no, it’s not the Carisma, which everybody had thought it would be.

Instead, it is supposed to be a new model of the Lancer called the Lancer Cedia. Interestingly, Mitsubishi announced the Lancer Cedia way back in 2000, on May 9. Moreover, in 2003, the Cedia name was dropped from the model nomenclature. So, if it is going to be the Cedia that will be launched in India, two vital questions arise. Is this new model actually a refurbished older model being offered as a new car for India or is the Cedia name being revived again? On its part, Mitsubishi of Japan is keeping the name for the Indian model under wraps. All the information the company is willing part with now is that the model would certainly be the latest Mitsubishi Lancer.

Whatever the name the car is christened with for India, one thing is certainly clear. It will be pitted against the Toyota Corolla-segment cars. The fact is that this car is actually quite different from the existing Lancer. It looks different all right and will also have a bigger engine to help it compete with the Toyota and the others in that bracket.

So what has the Cedia (we’ll call it that for now) got that will help it move one segment up and compete there? Well, for starters it measures in at 4,480mm in length, 1,695mm in breadth and 1,430mm in height. Compare that to the old Lancer, which measures 4,290mm by 1,690mm by 1,430mm. The wheelbase too, is longer at 2,600mm to the older model’s 2,500mm. So, while the height remains the same, the Cedia is a little longer and wider than the Lancer. The Corolla, just for reference, measures 4,530mm by 1,705mm by 1,490 with a wheelbase of 2,600mm. That means the Cedia should have as much passenger cabin space as the Corolla and more than the Lancer ? well theoretically at least.

In terms of engine capacity, there is a big difference ? the Lancer is powered by a 1.5-litre engine developing 85bhp of power and 13.46kgm of torque. The Cedia is expected to come packing a 2.0-litre engine that develops well over 120bhp and 17kgm of torque ? this, against the 125bhp and 16kgm developed by the Corolla’s 1.8-litre engine.

The most telling difference between the older Lancer and the Cedia is the latter’s styling. It looks markedly different both at the front and the rear. At the front, the design is dominated by the split grille with the spine bearing a large Mitsubishi logo. This integrates with the ridge in the centre of the bonnet. The wrap around the headlamp units too, add to the distinctive new look and overall, the front has quite a clean, crisp look to it. The rear end treatment is a little heavy and somewhat resembles that of the Mercedes C-Class.

All said and done though, no matter how different the Cedia looks, it somehow fails to capture one’s fancy the way the Lancer did. But then again, if the Hyundai Santro’s looks can grow on you, so will that of the Cedia. Perhaps if Mitsubishi (HM) plays its cards right and offers a true sports version with a bodykit and a hot engine, the Cedia could be a very nice car to own and drive ? after all, it certainly has the pedigree.