The Mitsubishi Lancer was a series of subcompact and compact cars introduced in 1973. The Lancer was mainly offered as a sedan during its production, but in later years, station wagon and hatchback variants were also available. Originally, the Lancer was sold as a subcompact model, but starting in 1996, the model shifted into the compact segment. Mitsubishi built the Lancer over eight generations, and used the model as the basis for the legendary Lancer Evolution performance model. Production of the Mitsubishi Lancer ended worldwide in 2017, but the model is still currently offered in the Chinese market.