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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Mitsubishi discontinued the Evo for what reason?
Mitsubishi discontinued the Lancer and Lancer Evolution for what reasons? Mitsubishi made the decision to concentrate their efforts on crossover vehicles or hybrid automobiles in order to meet customer demand as efficiency and adaptability became more essential to consumers.
Will the Mitsubishi Evo 11 be released?
At the annual shareholders’ meeting, Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors, dropped some hints regarding the company’s future, according to the Japanese publication Response. Regarding the recent Ralliart announcement, Kato stated that they will first start by providing a large selection of authentic accessories for their model line. While he acknowledged that rally participation is being thought about for the foreseeable future, he also stated that there are no plans to release a new Lancer Evolution.
Although certain Mitsubishi Motors stockholders have specifically asked for the Evo to be brought back, it is currently not practicable due to the significant development expenses linked to the automaker’s transition to electrification. “According to Kato, electrification is expensive and the company is still not robust enough. “We ran a significant deficit in the last fiscal year, therefore our first objective is to turn the business around before releasing the eagerly anticipated vehicles.
Will Mitsubishi ever again produce cool cars?
In the upcoming years, Mitsubishi might finally return to the world of rally racing. Although it’s willing to increase performance across the board, the Lancer Evolution won’t get a speed boost.
The company’s CEO, Takao Kato, said to investors at a shareholder meeting held in Japan that restoring the Ralliart brand in May 2021 was the first step toward producing faster, more thrilling vehicles. According to Japanese journal Response, the CEO said, “We intend to expandto a wide range of models as genuine accessories first, but we will also contemplate engagement in rallies.” Importantly, a racing program has not yet received approval.
It is unclear how a prospective return to rallies would be carried out. The Lancer Evolution (shown), Mitsubishi’s former rally king, retired in 2015 without a replacement. The company already offers crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks; the Mirage, though, is likely too small to be considered a rally vehicle. Even without a Lancer to base it on, it’s easy to think that a return to racing will bring the Evo back to the range, but Kato poured cold water on those long-running rumors.
He emphasized that despite Mitsubishi’s stockholders’ requests, a new Evo is not in the works. “Electrification is expensive, and our power is still insufficient. We had a sizable deficit at the end of the previous fiscal year, “explained Kato. “We must first revitalize the business. Then, we’ll consider releasing the vehicles that fans have been waiting for.”
He intends to resurrect the business by swiftly introducing a number of popular models. Recent revisions to the Mirage, Eclipse Cross, and Outlander Sport all garnered positive reviews, and the new Outlander, which boasts significant enhancements, was unveiled earlier in 2021.
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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 STI quicker than Evo?
Because it has fewer horsepower and weighs about 200 pounds more than the Impreza WRX STI, the Lancer Evolution appears to be a small underdog in comparison. Typically, this is where we discuss how the slower automobile is more enjoyable to drive and ultimately triumphs. This time, however, those who are preoccupied with statistics might find solace in the fact that the winning vehicle is also the cheapest and fastest in a straight line and on the skidpad. The Evo has the best driving dynamics out of the three, which is really what counts. We discuss this topic all the time, much to the dismay of some letter writers.
HIGHS: Excellent grip, yaw control that eliminates understeer, and excellent low-end torque for a turbo.
LOWS: Lacks a telescoping steering wheel, an extra gear, and an expensive-looking cabin.
The Evo’s average time from 0 to 60 mph is astounding4.6 seconds. Though it also has a modest advantage through the quarter-mile, the Evo may only just edge the Subaru STI to that mark due to its ability to reach that point in second gear. Despite losing 10 horsepower and 192 pounds of curb weight to the STI, this is still the case.
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.
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 Evo variant is the quickest?
The quickest times from 0 to 60 mph are:
- 3.6 seconds for the #1 Lancer Evolution X FQ440.
- 3.8 seconds for the #2 Lancer Evolution VIII FQ400.
- 3.9 seconds for the #3 Lancer Evolution IX FQ360.
- 4.0 seconds for the #4 Lancer Evolution X FQ360.
- 4.3 seconds for the #5 Lancer Evolution IX FQ340.
- 4.4 seconds for the #6 Lancer Evo X FQ330.
What is the price of an Evo 10?
So it’s official now. The Mitsubishi Evo of the tenth generation has truly and officially died. The most recent one in North America, which marked the end of over ten years of production, was just astonishingly sold at auction for $76,400.
Mitsubishi produced 1600 Evo Final Editions to mark the end of such a long run. Each one cost $37,995 and was based on the Evo GSR with a manual transmission. This indicates that the Final Edition sold for almost double what its MSRP was. But it was for a good reason. Mitsubishi intends to give the money raised to the organization Feeding America, which works to end hunger.
Sadly, we are unable to predict what may happen to the Evo next. However, based on what many spokespeople have indicated, if there is ever a new Evo, it will significantly deviate from the recipe that we have grown to know and love over the years. It would most likely be a hybrid crossover of some kind. Who knows if that’s still happeningthe business has been pretty silent about the next-generation Evo in recent years.
However, it appears as though Mitsubishi’s turbocharged rally vehicle for the streets is now gone for good, even if the Evo brand makes a comeback in the future.
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.