(March 20, 2013) CIRENCESTER, United Kingdom — Mitsubishi Motors has confirmed the long awaited arrival of the all-new Mitsubishi Mirage. The Mitsubishi Mirage in its current iteration is an A-segment min car that’s "stylish, well-equipped and practical."

Mitsubishi says, it "has completely reviewed the small car concept to deliver a rational, no-nonsense product with the quality and reliability for which Mitsubishi is so well-known. Lighter, faster and with impeccable environmental credentials, this is one Mirage that’s very real – and very much a car of its time.

"There’s no doubt buyers will be impressed with how Mirage looks from the outside – and they’ll love the inside of the vehicle too. The airy and comfortable cabin cocoons its occupants in a pleasant, well-designed and above all, safe, environment."

The tiny Mirage will start at £8,999 ($13,500).

The Mirage is constructed using Mitsubishi’s "RISE" safety body design — Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution — and involves the use of a massively strong monocoque structure made from ultra-high tensile steel.

The body is designed to ensure maximum crash protection from all angles and directs impact forces away from the occupants. Although certain parts of the car might be damaged in any impact, the passengers will remain within a steel safety cell. Impact testing showed Mirage has the highest collision safety among its class in Japan.

Mirage is powered by a new generation of lightweight and compact gas engines. For UK buyers, there are two alternatives: a frugal, low-friction 1.0-liter and a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine. Auto Stop & Go will be standard on the 1.2-liter engine.

The Mirage comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission while a CVT auto option is available on the top-specification Mirage 3. The 1.0-liter unit produces 70 horsepower while the 1.2 variant produces 80 horsepower.