Despite investor pressure to bring back the venerable vehicle, which was retired in 2016, Lancer Evolution just doesn’t make any financial sense, according to Takao Kato, CEO and President of Mitsubishi Motors.
The “Evo” will stay in the past, at least temporarily, despite the brand’s intended return to motorsports and the revival of Mitsubishi’s Ralliart Racing Division. This is especially regrettable given that the Evolution’s former opponent is still in the works, with the release of its most recent version scheduled for 2022.
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Why doesn’t Mitsubishi produce the Evo?
The majority of Japanese automakers offered both high-performance vehicles and performance versions of their standard models.
There were a plethora of intriguing vehicles available from the Land of the Rising Sun.
In this era, Mitsubishi alone created some incredible performance vehicles, including:
- Click here to read our buyer’s guide for the 3000GT/GTO.
- FTO (particularly the GPX version with the high-revving 2.0 V6 with MIVEC)
- VR4 Legnum & Galant
- The Lancer Evolution, of course
Nearly every other vehicle Mitsubishi produces is a crossover or SUV, with the exception of the new Mirage (which Doug De Muro claims is one of the worst new cars on the market).
Therefore, how did the corporation in charge of making these cars:
reach the stage when it produces vehicles without a single performance option that resemble those seen today:
Why did Mitsubishi stop producing performance cars and instead concentrate primarily on SUVs/crossovers and a few other basic vehicles, going even further than many other manufacturers in doing so?
In 2018, a manager for Mitsubishi UK stated to Car Throttle:
He continued, “Mitsubishi has drifted around numerous brand positionings, whether it’s been Spacestar style vehicles or sports car derivatives, Evoit’s not had that clarity of concentration. Mitsubishi’s focus is now SUVs, crossovers, four-wheel drive, combined with alternative fuel technologies.
Mitsubishi essentially wants to concentrate on the market segment where it is most likely to see growth in sales and profits (performance cars can be notoriously unprofitable for manufacturers to develop and sell, and using them as “loss leaders to spark interest in the brand and lower specced cars doesn’t seem to be as popular of a play as it was in previous years).
In essence, for the same reason they discontinued all of their other performance vehicles: they didn’t want to spend money on R&D and manufacturing vehicles that wouldn’t likely generate the necessary revenue.
Mitsubishi is currently a minor player in the overall automobile market. In order to succeed, they must concentrate on producing reliable, practical, and efficient automobiles for customers who choose their vehicles based on features like cup holders and foldable seats.
Is Mitsubishi regaining popularity?
Mitsubishi Motors is taking many actions to restore the brand’s “Mitsubishi Motors-ness” as part of their revamped “Small but Beautiful” midterm plan. One of them is the return of Ralliart, but gosh, you’ll be disappointed in how this illustrious motorsports sub-brand made its reappearance.
Will Mitsubishi ever again produce a sports car?
The Mustang’s continued existence and instances like Mitsubishi’s Japanese rival Toyota, which recently revived the Supra, show that the seemingly unexplained trend towards large, high-riding automobiles still seems to leave little room for sports cars. Then there’s Honda, which brought back the Civic Type R and the NSX after years of neglecting fast cars. Mitsubishi can definitely pull off the same feat, right? Sadly, the answer is no.
In a global sense, the company, which sells 1.2 million automobiles annually, is not that large. It would be challenging to be financially viable if you tried to be in all the different market groups and follow fads, such sports vehicles, says Lindley.
Is Ralliart returning?
Returned is Ralliart. Mitsubishi introduced a concept at this week’s Tokyo Auto Salon to mark the resurrection of its formerly popular performance-focused subbrand.
Which is preferable, STI or Evo?
The 122 horsepower per liter of the Evo significantly outperforms the 102 horsepower per liter of the STI. But it’s not that easy either, as weight to power is another crucial ratio to look at. The STI outperforms the Evo by at least 1.2 pounds per horsepower, regardless of how the measurement is done (from the crankshaft or the wheels).
STI or Evo: Which is better?
The Evo easily outperforms the STI in terms of horsepower per liter with its 122 horsepower. It’s not that easy, though, because we also need to look at weight to power, another crucial ratio. The STI has at least a 1.2 pound-per-horsepower advantage over the Evo no matter how it is measuredfrom the crankshaft or the wheels.
What was the Mitsubishi Evo’s successor?
All may not be bad. The Mitsubishi e-Evolution, which is the next car to use the Evolution nameplate after the Lancer Evolution, is also known as the Lancer Crossover in the image above.
Will a new Lancer be released?
The new model, which was introduced in March 2021, is anticipated to be sold in Southeast Asia and Japan.
suggesting that Australia might have a shot with the model.
What is the value of a Mitsubishi 3000GT?
Trade-in values for a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT range from $1,553 to $14,083. Use Edmunds’ appraisal tool to get a more precise estimate of your car’s value. Find out the value of your car. Alternate vehicle