Mitsubishi will pull the Lancer Evolution's plug by the end of 2014

[Mustangmiha]

I've never liked Mitsubishis anyway (especially X) so it's meh.

 

[a6m5]

I've always liked Mitsubishis, but they've(automotive) had one foot in the grave for few years now. For me, it would've been more shocking if they found the money for the replacement R&D. Those cars will be missed.

 

[GranTurismo916]

The X was the last one and it turned out to be crap. I'm still sad to see these go. No more STi vs. Evo rivalry with the new models.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

The X was the last one and it turned out to be crap. I'm still sad to see these go. No more STi vs. Evo rivalry with the new models.

Interesting as of all the evo's we've raced over the years ( evo 5 gsr, 5 RS, 750bhp sequential box'd evo 7 rs, 500bhp sequential box'd evo x, 408bhp evo x rs) The x was the best and fastest around every track.

 

[2clicks]

This wasn't really a shock to me. My interest in the Evo diminished after their withdrawal from the WRC. Anyway, it's nice that they ended off with a round number.

 

[Mr_X]

A damn shame

 

[RDF97]

NO! I just heard about it I am so sad that its going. RIP EVO 1992-2014

 

[ProjectWHaT]

My personal favorite was VIII.

Anyways, I'm really sad and disappointed that they're discontinuing the EVO. I hope in a few years, once they get their head back on or something, they'll make a XI or something. I won't even car if its a hybrid. As long as it's sporty.

 

[LeadFootLiam]

I feel bad, it was great car. I'm wondering which automaker will challenge the WRX, since there will be no more Evo vs WRX shizzle.

 

[GTPorsche]

I thought they already had...

 

[niky]

Not surprising news at all, since they've said before that this would be the last Evo.

Reminder, Mitsubishi isn't actually dying. They're pulling back operations in unprofitable markets and segments and are refocusing on emerging markets and market segments. Mitsubishi is actually profitable at the moment.

Besides, the Lancer is now too big of a car for a proper Evo, and is long overdue for replacement. Once the new, smaller Lancer debuts, then we can talk about a new Evo. For the meantime, though, it's probably long past time to pull the plug.

 

[Blitz24]

Can see Mitsubishi fall out of the US market in the next 5-10 years.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I find it funny you used "plug" in the title, because Mitsubishi is going toward electric cars.

 

[GranTurismo916]

Interesting as of all the evo's we've raced over the years ( evo 5 gsr, 5 RS, 750bhp sequential box'd evo 7 rs, 500bhp sequential box'd evo x, 408bhp evo x rs) The x was the best and fastest around every track.

Track stats don't make up a good car to me. That's only part of it.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Track stats don't make up a good car to me. That's only part of it.

Well the car got its last race win today, against a noble m400 running 650bhp, a ginetta g50, supercharged m3 and a seat Leon touring car as well as others.

In fact it went from last to 2nd by the end of the first lap, the owner was certainly looking down on us.

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

For me, the evo died after the 9 was replaced.

 

[RocZX]

The Evo replacement may be a 3000GT/GTO successor

The next Mitsubishi Evo could be a 2+2 coupe rather than a four door saloon, Auto Express can reveal. Such a car would be the spiritual successor to the 3000GT, only it would use a development of the all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid technology used in the Outlander PHEV to ensure it is frugal as well as fast. There have already been rumors about the next Evo being a hybrid, but this is the first time that a coupe body style has been mentioned.

Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors UK, said a hybrid Evo would most likely be based on the next Mitsubishi ASX crossover platform so would therefore be slightly smaller than before. “It's possible it could be a high performance coupe - smaller rather than bigger than current Evo. Therefore a 2+2 coupe would be a sensible body choice.”


Bradley said that while there were no concrete plans for the next Evo there was “ an interest and willingness within MMC (Mitsubishi Motors Corporation) to produce one” and that hybrid technology was the way to go for such a car. He said: “There is demand for a car which performs well and makes problem feel good for themselves in terms of its efficiency. If we can do an SUV which emits just 44g/km of CO2 then we can do the same with a performance car.”

Bradley hinted that by investing in electric-powered motorsport like the iMiEV Evolution Pikes Peak entrant, the company was paving the way for a high performance electric-powered car. “There is a plan to do more racing with electric vehicles as it shows people they are not milk floats and normalises the technology,” he said

AutoExpess

 

[Badasp5.0]

Can see Mitsubishi fall out of the US market in the next 5-10 years.

Yep. I see it happening too. My wife is upset she is a big time Mitsu fan girl.

 

[YSSMAN]

The Evo replacement may be a 3000GT/GTO successor

A car with the combined mass of a small moon, and the purpose of who knows what.

I thought I remembered reading a story yesterday where they extrapolated on the AutoExpress story and guessed that the next Evolution would be a sporty crossover ala the Nissan Juke NISMO. Now that I could get behind. Particularly if Mitsubishi put in a proper manual gearbox with the all-wheel-drive.

 

[niky]

They've already done a 4G63T powered Outlander in the past.

The Outlander Sport (ASX), on the other hand, is a fine platform to build such a thing on. And yes, it could be epic. Even better if Subaru would stop dicking around and give us an XV XT... errh... maybe an XVSTI. The XV is perhaps their most fun "regular" car at the moment... all it needs is a shot of adrenaline.

 

[RocZX]

A car with the combined mass of a small moon, and the purpose of who knows what.

I thought I remembered reading a story yesterday where they extrapolated on the AutoExpress story and guessed that the next Evolution would be a sporty crossover ala the Nissan Juke NISMO. Now that I could get behind. Particularly if Mitsubishi put in a proper manual gearbox with the all-wheel-drive.

The crossover theory came from Jalopnik.
And there has already been a Evo SUV - Pajero Evo.....

I don't know what it will be, but they should do something to make their lineup a little more interesting.
I having a weird feeling that they are going to make the Mirage the next Evo, it won't be too bad it as long as it's 4WD with a turbo 4.

. Even better if Subaru would stop dicking around and give us an XV XT... errh... maybe an XVSTI. .

Yes please!

 

[Wolfe]

I don't know what hatchback-loving STI fans would do if Subaru built an XV STI but not a 5-door WRX STI.

A car with the combined mass of a small moon, and the purpose of who knows what.

What's sad is how compared to today's market, the 3000GT's mass is quite average.

As for its purpose, I once read that the Grand-Tourer-minded Japanese cars of the early '90s were inspired by prestigious "flagship GT" models like the BMW 8-series. Especially the ones that were uncharacteristically ambitious -- the SVX, (JC) Cosmo, 3000GT, and perhaps the NSX depending on how you want to look at it.

Nowadays, I can imagine Mitsubishi wanting to build some cachet with a fancy hybrid coupe.

 

[niky]

The Pajero Evo was an off-road special. Underbody armoring, short-wheelbase, powerful MIVEC V6. It was a homologation car for the Paris-Dakar. Not quite a hot road-going SUV.

The Outlander Turbo was more in the vein of the Forester XT.

The V6 variant of the following generation, however, was one truck that wasn't as well-appreciated as it should have been... fantastic sounding V6, and it had a whole lot more punch than the anemic turd in the Escape V6 of the same time... as well as having some decent handling chops. If they'd turbocharged that one, dropped it a tiny bit and given it yaw control, it would have been the crossover to end all crossovers.

-

Even if the interior was nearly as bad as a Lancer's.

 

[YSSMAN]

I having a weird feeling that they are going to make the Mirage the next Evo, it won't be too bad it as long as it's 4WD with a turbo 4.

Man, that'd be fun. An itty-bitty car like that with 200+ BHP and AWD would be a blast.

 

[synchromesh]

All the buyers that would be in Lancers will be in a Subaru. Next best thing, right?

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

I wish Mitsubishi would go back to their wackiness in fairness; cars like the Airtrek Turbo R (Japanese model of the Outlander; based on the Evo VII) were cool and the sort of thing most European or other Pacific car companies would shy away from. Even before that, there was the RVR Hyper Sports Gear-R; a car I mentioned in the 'Ugly But Appealing Vehicles' thread.

Underneath that wild looking minivan body is the chassis, (detuned) engine and drivetrain from an Evo III. Was there any point to such a car? Probably not. Admittedly, the stuff I'm talking about wouldn't have much of a buyer base anywhere outside of Japan (apart from the niche market who import stuff like that). Probably because the average consumer couldn't see the appeal of a performance-oriented minivan that has less space than a lot of cars in the same price range.

I guess in 2014, the same could be said for the Evo X. I mentioned in my first post that the Evo X was supposed to be a big, fast luxo barge for the elite businessperson, in contrast to the rugged, rally-car-for-the-road theme the Impreza WRX/STI was sticking with. Like I also said, it doesn't work too well with massive wings and bulges, a shoddy interior and an emphasis on cornering ability (which so few ever actually use), which is why no one really wants it.

A new 3000GT would be cool, or even a new Eclipse - so long as they reintroduce the GSX and maybe use the Evo's engine and AWD system. But for now, I think the Lancer is in dire need of an update anyway, and they really need to re-evaluate what they want the Evo to be.

 

[Grandea GTR]

All Mitsubishi advertises here in TV is how you should get their Outlander & Outlander Sport. Nothing about the Lancer, and heck, they hardly even advertise much about the recently released Mirage!

They might as well pull an Isuzu and just make SUV's & crossovers if they keep on doing that.

 

[Tornado]

Now that even the GT-R weighs over 1700kg, I wonder if Mitsu can hit the magic 4000 pound mark.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Since this announcement came out on April 1st I really thought it was a hoax. I have always liked the evos.

 

[Kent]

Now that even the GT-R weighs over 1700kg, I wonder if Mitsu can hit the magic 4000 pound mark.

Do you mean to increase the weight of the Evo?
I doubt the Evo X was 4000 lbs. It could have been but I doubt it (will only take a second of looking on google). Wikipedia reports it being between 3100 and 3500 lbs based on trim/options. 👍

I'd say the 3000 lbs. mark is a good goal for any car larger than a Corolla (or roughly the same size). Though I admit, the Corollas from 10 years ago in 2003/2004 were only about 2600lbs. so it's tough seeing cars roughly the same size being 1000lbs. heavier.

IMHO Mitsu should focus on shaking the boy racer image. Pretty much the only car non-car-nuts associate with Mitsu is the Eclipse. I'd hate to see that one car ruin an entire brand's image.
Focus on a more mature market image and at the same time iron-out any reliability issues, that would be a great start imho. 👍