THE new Mitsubishi Lancer EX has bulked up because the Japanese carmaker is
targeting the car at markets around the world, including Russia.

Mitsubishi decided to make the ninth-generation Lancer bigger because the
previous model was a little too small for the US and Europe, explains Masaki
Matsuhara, the general manager of design at Mitsubishi Motors R&D Europe.

"We wanted to improve customer requirements," he says in fluent English. "And
if you think about the competition in this segment, they have also grown up. So
we decided to change the Lancer's positioning."

As chief designer of the new Lancer, Mr Matsuhara wanted to imbue it with space
and strength.

"If you look at the previous Lancer, the styling is weak because the car is
narrow."

He says this is because its exterior size had to be limited so as to attract
lower vehicle taxes in Japan.

"But now that we intend to sell the Lancer worldwide, I upgraded the size. The
shoulders are hard and more square for the impression of safety. Inside, it is
roomier...the interior space is good."

He adds that feedback had revealed customers were generally satisfied with the
previous Lancer's cabin size, so actual legroom improvements in this aspect
were relatively minor. What he did do, however, was to make it appear more
spacious by redesigning the dashboard for example.

"The dashboard is barrel-shaped - the middle is closer to the occupants for
better ergonomics, while the ends are pushed forward for increased roominess."

Mr Matsuhara has been with Mitsubishi since he graduated from Tokai
University's Art Department 21 years ago. He first started out in colour and
trim design for the Sigma, before designing the interiors of cars such as the
Carisma, FTO and seventh-generation Lancer.

He eventually moved to working on both interior and exterior design on other
cars, such as the Pajero SUV, and is now based in Mitsubishi?s European design
studio near Frankfurt, Germany.

" have always liked to draw, since I was six or seven years old," he explains,
saying he began with scenery before quickly graduating to rooftop sketches of
cars on street level.

"When I was 10 years old, I would go up to the roof to draw the cars parked in
front of my home,? he recalls with a laugh. As his father was a carpenter, he
would also play with scrap wood and nail them together to build his own toy
robots.

A teacher eventually pointed him towards a career in either graphic or
industrial design and the rest is history.

But will an overtly sporty product like the latest Lancer cause its legions of
existing Singapore owners to look elsewhere when they next buy a new car? The
personable chief designer doesn't think so.

"It may be sporty but it is also a sedan, with a roomy cabin and boot."

Because of Mitsubishi's rallying roots, the carmaker wants the Lancer design to
go in a sporty direction.

"The rally heritage is important because the technology and the know-how will
be reflected in the product, first in the Evolution (all-wheel-drive sports
sedan), then in the standard Lancer."