The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Will Be Substituted! (In Six Years)
Long-term Plans: The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Will Be Substituted! (In Six Years)
Tho’ the 10th-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is slightly cold in its grave and the Lancer on which it was based is also being put out to pasture, Mitsubishi does intend to substitute the brand’s former Subaru WRX STI challenger.
In 2023, or thereabouts. Maybe as early as two thousand twenty or 2021.
But the next Mitsubishi Evolution is not likely going to be a decent rival for the WRX STI.
Mitsubishi COO Trevor Mann suggested to Motoring that the next Evolution won’t be a sedan-based spectacle car, but rather a high-end variant of an upcoming SUV. “In terms of the brand, I think it would be interesting to bring something back that’s a bit more sporty in the future,” Mann said. “You’ll have to wait and see what that is.”
We know Mitsubishi has little regard for former nameplates being restricted to their former class designations. So it’s time you ready yourself for the two thousand twenty three Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Evolution.
Mitsubishi didn’t begin importing the Lancer Evolution to the United States until the Evolution VIII followed the Subaru Impreza WRX. Generally regarded as the purist’s rally car of choice, the Lancer Evolution forged ahead through Evolution IX guise. However, Mitsubishi was a shadow of its former self in North America by the time the 10th Lancer Evo, Evolution X, was attempting to win hearts and minds.
The Lancer Evolution VIII arrived at a time when Mitsubishi was averaging more than 300,000 U.S. sales per year. But by 2008, Mitsubishi couldn’t even sell 100,000 vehicles on an annual basis in America. The company would see its annual U.S. volume fall below 60,000 before the Lancer Evolution was killed off. As for the Lancer Evolution itself, the high-performance sedan may have been faced by the same problem that builders of sporty coupes encounter: everybody who desired one got one already. Excessive fuel consumption, rapid tire wear, and expensive maintenance somewhat boundaries the appeal for buyers who’ve already experienced one taste of Evolution.
But as Mitsubishi’s U.S. lineup becomes increasingly utility vehicle oriented — sixty percent of the brand’s sales are already crossover-derived — it won’t be surprising to see Mitsubishi end up with a flagship spectacle car that isn’t a car at all. With the Lancer on its way out and the i-MiEV dead, the Thailand-built three-cylinder Mirage will hold down Mitsubishi’s U.S. passenger car fort on its own.
The Mirage, of course, is not a suitable foundation for an Evolution XI.
“We’ve got to concentrate on SUVs,” Mitsubishi boss Mann says, “because, one; it’s where our strength and heritage is, and, two; it’s where the market is going.”
Indeed, that is where the market is going. But where is Mitsubishi going? One thing we know: where Mitsubishi goes and where Mitsubishi goes in America are two different subjects. For example, brand COO Mann believes that Mitsubishi’s current halo product is the Pajero Sport, but the Pajero Sport isn’t even suggested in North America.