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Mitsubishi has given up the goods on what last week we referred to as the Lancer Sportback, but will go by the name of Prototype-S when it debuts this March at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The car itself is basically a production version of the Concept-Sportback that debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, and Mitsubishi hints in its press release that the 5-door hatchback Lancer is destined for the European market.

Some details revealed that we didn’t know last week include that the Prototype-S is powered by the same 2.0L turbo four-cylinder MIVEC engine that debuted earlier this month in the Lancer Ralliart. It produces 235 horsepower and 253 ft-lbs. of torque, which is routed through Mitsubishi’s Twin Clutch SST transmission and sent to all four wheels via a full-time 4WD system using the automaker’s Active Center Differential. The Prototype-S, therefore, is basically a hatchback body wrapped around the mechanicals of the Lancer Ralliart, a car with which we’re already smitten. Add the practically of a fifth door and more cargo capacity, and we’d be looking to tussle with a Mazdaspeed3 or Caliber SRT-4 on our way home from the grocery store. Sure, those higher horsepower cars might beat us in a straight line, but eventually the curves will come.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

As we promised last month, Pininfarina has hit us with a teaser sketch of the upcoming Sintesi concept car. The show car, which will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, is the first concept the famous Italian design house will have shown in three years.

Sintesi is Italian for “summary”, and the concept ties together themes from its last two design studies: the Maserati Birdcage 75th that stopped the Geneva show in 2005, and the Nido city-car from Paris ‘04. The design for the new Sintesi was directed by Lowie Vermeersch, head of the company’s design department. We’ll look forward to bringing you more as Pininfarina doles it out, but you can check out their nifty cyber-mag in the meantime by following the link below.
[Source: Pininfarina via AutoWeek]