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

[guywithanAE86]

It's too bad, but I think Mitsubishi ran out of ideas for the Evo when the IX came around. Either way, I'm gonna miss the Evo, it was Subaru's only real rival in the rally world of Japan.

It's sad seeing cool japanese sports cars go out of production, but the Evo is gonna live on for a long time. So I'm not worried about not seeing them anymore lol.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Can the X just go away now? Please

 

[JAHHAJ]

Can the X just go away now? Please

Only if Subaru promise more WRX STIs

 

[wudy201]

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Are you happy, sad or meh with Mitsubishi's decision?

Very sad I miss smoking my buddies ugly sti in my 04 ego that he still thinks was a faster car even after seeing my tailights dozens of time on dirt and asphalt. It was a good time.

 

[Epic B]

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Are you happy, sad or meh with Mitsubishi's decision?

Is that all ten generations of Lancer Evolution (in white) at the Karussell? That's actually really cool. It's sad to see the Evolution go, but the current one was getting pretty old. But I am kind of bummed out that a replacement isn't in the pipeline. Cause I'm probably not the only on ewho would like to see an Evo XI, or at least a spiritual successor. I've heard about using the Evolution name on a plug in hybrid hybrid SUV of some sort, but I wish they'd put such a setup into a sedan. At the least, I can fire up Gran Turismo whenever I want and enjoy the Evolution. I loved the Evo VII in the third game. Also, I love the numerology behind the name of the FQ-440 MR. The article explains it.

 

[Legro]

Is that all ten generations of Lancer Evolution (in white) at the Karussell? That's actually really cool.

I think, it's just a GT5 picture.

 

[05XR8]

Although, I'm glad it did finally arrive, it took too long to market in the states. Subaru crept in with the GL-10, Brat, Justy, SVX, the unassuming first gen Imprezas and the Outbacks. Mitsubishi had no strong line up in the states. The Starion, Eclipse and Galant was all they had as far as anything exciting. While the Montero and Raider were only going to corner stores in the USA, the Pajero was doing everything the Range Rover can do and winning Dakar everywhere else it was sold.

By the time the cries from the tuning community were heard. It was too late. A manual only 4 door sports sedan? In North America? For how much? And it's trying to compete with the WRX sedan and Wagon AND the STi is coming? For how much? And it's manual only? It may have been a Corvette killer, but they softened the EVO's entry with the Lancer O-zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[Epic B]

I think, it's just a GT5 picture.

I figured it might be, but it's cool regardless.

 

[JR98]

I ain't too suprised. The Evo X was released in 2007 and Mitsubishi haven't even hinted at an Evo XI, besides, Subaru pulled the plug on the Impreza a while back, although they did have the WRX Concept soon after they said they were discontinuing the Impreza. Also Subaru and Mitsubishi have been out of the rally game for a few years.

 

[CodeRedR51]

The Evo died with the conclusion of the 9.

The X was a overweight boring pig that is indistinguishable from a regular lancer..

I don't find it that hard to tell the difference. Ralliart to regular Lancer? Sure. Evolution? Not so much.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Its interesting to me that Mitsubishi and Subaru have built up such a cult reputation for rally provenance and even dominance. Subaru won three championships and Mitsubishi won once.

Compare that to Citroen (8), Peugeot (5) or Lancia (ELEVEN, more than 25% of all WRC titles belong to Lancia!) and you have to say that Mitsubishi and Subaru's impact on the world rally scene is very overstated.

 

[Legro]

Mitsubishi mainly focused on the Drivers Championship, which they won 4 times with Tommi Mäkinen.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Don't forget there's also local/national rally events that are not WRC. The rally world doesn't revolve around the WRC.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Mitsubishi mainly focused on the Drivers Championship, which they won 4 times with Tommi Mäkinen.

I sincerely doubt that. It might be decent consolation to win the DC, but every manufacturer is aiming to win the constructors title.

I'm not claiming they weren't successful in certain niches of racing, but, going back to my original post: "impact on the world rally scene is very overstated"

 

[Tornado]

No one cares that Citroen won because it happened when no one cared in the first place.

 

[Legro]

I sincerely doubt that. It might be decent consolation to win the DC, but every manufacturer is aiming to win the constructors title.

It's understandable that winning the Manufacturers Championship is important for a team, but it wasn't Ralliart's main concern in the late 90s. For example, in the 1996 season 79% of the points they got were from Mäkinen. And until 2001 (when they finally switched to WRC regulations) the other drivers had to drive lot less successful Carisma Evo (even though, it was really just a Lancer Evo, but that doesn't make it more successful).

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

No one cares that Citroen won because it happened when no one cared in the first place.

I don't disagree with that at all. I wish we could go back to the glory days of the 70s and 80s.

 

[mustafur]

I don't find it that hard to tell the difference. Ralliart to regular Lancer? Sure. Evolution? Not so much.

The differences are very subtle compared to every other Evo, the VRX also has a very similar bodykit as well.

 

[mustafur]

Its interesting to me that Mitsubishi and Subaru have built up such a cult reputation for rally provenance and even dominance. Subaru won three championships and Mitsubishi won once.

Compare that to Citroen (8), Peugeot (5) or Lancia (ELEVEN, more than 25% of all WRC titles belong to Lancia!) and you have to say that Mitsubishi and Subaru's impact on the world rally scene is very overstated.

But Citroen never made a car that was designed for rally in the first place they just used their regular cars.

The thing with the Evo, WRX and Delta integrales is they where rally specials that where designed from what would work in rally thus the perigree is there.

 

[Downhill Dino]

But Citroen never made a car that was designed for rally in the first place they just used their regular cars.

The thing with the Evo, WRX and Delta integrales is they where rally specials that where designed from what would work in rally thus the perigree is there.

The BX 4TC came to mind...

Group B homologation special.

 

[mustafur]

The BX 4TC came to mind...

Group B homologation special.

In a era when they never won nor looked like winning a rally, and group B required rally specials to be made to be remotely competitive. But they where seriously rare 1 off machinery and not mainstream like the models I suggested from the Group A era.

The Xsara, C4 and DS3 never had a rally special.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

To be honest, I genuinely think people's association of rallying and Subarus/Evos genuinely comes from their exposure during the PS1 era. Stuff like Gran Turismo and Colin McRae Rally made people aware of these sorts of cars and the things they could do. It's more like looking through rose tinted spectacles really; the cars in question have a certain juvenile quality to them (big wings, vents everywhere, spot lamps) which made them appeal to people who grew up at such a time. As they grew up and became more knowledgeable of cars, they realise just how good they are as all-rounders, which only makes them more prominent than some other rally cars before or since.

Hell, my dad imported a '92 WRX shortly after the original GT came out because he liked it so much on that and did more research into them. IIRC, Subaru even said the popularity of their cars in the game is what made them think there would be a market for the bugeye WRX back in the early 2000s.

 

[niky]

The difference between Mitsubaru and Citrogeot is that you can actually buy an STI or an Evo off the showroom floor, put a cage and some five point harnesses in it and enter a grassroots rally series of your choice.

Obviously, if you want to complete at a professional level, you're looking at buying an actual racing car, and that advantage disappears... But as that first option is available almost everywhere in the world, more people associate the Japanese brands with rallying than Peugeot, Citroen or Ford. None of which have a current AWD sports sedan or hot hatch.

Lancia doesn't count. Too long ago to matter to most modern buyers.

 

[mustafur]

The difference between Mitsubaru and Citrogeot is that you can actually buy an STI or an Evo off the showroom floor, put a cage and some five point harnesses in it and enter a grassroots rally series of your choice.

Obviously, if you want to complete at a professional level, you're looking at buying an actual racing car, and that advantage disappears... But as that first option is available almost everywhere in the world, more people associate the Japanese brands with rallying than Peugeot, Citroen or Ford. None of which have a current AWD sports sedan or hot hatch.

Lancia doesn't count. Too long ago to matter to most modern buyers.

Yeah that was the difference between Group A, which required more mainstream rally specials(Familiar GT-R, Pulsar GTI-R, Celica Gt-Four just to name a few more), from the more 1 off rally evolution regulations of Group B which was essentially like 90s GT1 where as long as there is a road going version of the car there using it's fine, those cars were soo rare they where only going to be collectables.

 

[MCNAGTROC]