Baby Colt Charges

In common with the rest of the three-door line-up, it has wider sills, longer doors and a lower roof line. In fact, only the bonnet and front bumper have been carried over between the three and five-door cars.

On sale early next year, the three-door Colt range will make its world debut at the Paris exhibition in September. It has been styled at Mitsubishi Design in Germany to appeal to European tastes, and is based on the same platform as the existing five-door variant - underpinnings which are also shared with the Smart ForFour.

The model range will feature a comprehensive choice of engines beneath the flagship. The entry-level car will use a 1.1-litre engine developing a respectable 75bhp. A more powerful 96bhp 1.3-litre unit will also be offered, alongside a 109bhp 1.5-litre.

Buyers with economy in mind will be able to opt for a 95bhp 1.5-litre direct-injection diesel version, which promises strong performance allied to frugal fuel consumption.

A five-speed manual gearbox will feature across the range, with a six-ratio Allshift automatic manual transmission available with the 1.3-litre petrol engine. Sadly, this gearbox won't be offered on the turbocharged version. Prices for the three-door baby Mitsubishi have yet to be confirmed. However, the five-door starts at ΂£9,000, and the CZ3 is expected to sell for between ΂£500 and ΂£1,000 less.

The CZT, which can cover the sprint from 0-60mph in only eight seconds and has a top speed of 130mph, will be priced around the ΂£13,500 mark. It will go head-to-head with rivals from Peugeot and Ford, and will be available from launch. The Japanese manufacturer has a strong reputation among performance car fans as a result of its involvement in rallying, so expect the ride and handling to be pin-sharp.