- Mitsubishi confirmed Thursday that it is working on a post-2013 successor to its iconic Lancer Evo.
- Mitsubishi's challenge is how to power — and what to name — a potential successor to the Evo.
- One solution may be to develop a high-performance plug-in hybrid drivetrain for the next-generation model.
TOKYO — Mitsubishi confirmed Thursday that it is working on a post-2013 successor to its iconic Lancer Evolution. But a future image model is likely to depart dramatically from the current track-derived formula, given the likelihood of much stricter emissions and fuel-economy standards and growing consumer concerns over the environment and future fuel supplies.
One possible solution that's being discussed inside the company: a high-performance plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), built on the next-generation Lancer platform that's due in 2013, employing technology first previewed in Mitsubishi's 2009 PX-MiEV concept.
With the current motorsports-inspired Evo X slated to exit the U.S. market after 2013, the Japanese automaker's challenge is how to power — and perhaps what to name — a potential successor to a widely recognized niche performance car with a well-defined formula that sprang some 20 years ago from the World Rally Championship.
In a statement released Thursday in Japan, the company said: "Production of the current Lancer Evolution continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package and architecture. MMC has kept the Lancer Evolution sedan evolving as the brand's highest-performing model in the global market. However, as the market's needs and demands change, MMC is considering not advancing the Lancer Evolution concept in the same way as before, but to find a different direction for the Lancer Evolution model to evolve. The new direction, the technologies involved, and corresponding products will be disclosed in due course."
A Mitsubishi executive earlier in the week told Britain's Autocar magazine that the current Lancer Evolution X, the 10th generation since 1992, would be the last of its type, saying, "There is still a demand (for the car), but we must stop." He added: "Our influence now is EV technology."
The current Lancer Evo is powered by a high-output turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, with all-wheel drive. In marked contrast, the PX-MiEV concept addresses environmental and energy issues, featuring a 114-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a pair of electric motors, one on each axle, with the system automatically switching from front- to all-wheel drive as conditions demand.
A production version of the PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid crossover is expected to reach the market within the next two years, providing a technical base for a high-output variant — one that might ultimately succeed the current Lancer Evo.
"It is conceivable that, given the resources put to the PHEV drivetrain, a high-performance derivative could be developed" to replace today's Evo, an unnamed source close to the situation in Japan told Inside Line on Thursday.
Inside Line says: If it's going to depart that dramatically from today's formula, why not call the future performance model the Mitsubishi Revo? — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
hobbitos says:
12:44 AM, 07/18/2011
I am a loyal Evo fan and owner, but I will buy an STI instead of a hybrid. Hybrid is not practical for track days.
witnessx says:
08:12 AM, 03/04/2011
Betting the farm on EVs will bite them in the arse.
throwback says:
05:37 AM, 03/04/2011
A high performance hybrid would be a first. However, weight is the enemy of any good drivers car and this type of setup wont be light.
dgmail says:
02:20 AM, 03/04/2011
Iconic? Mitsubishi? In the same sentence?
LOL!
Try Airport Rental & shopped by customers with no money.
That would be more associated with 'Made- So-Sh*tty"
angry_mushroom says:
12:44 AM, 03/04/2011
@sileightykid:
A 4G63 would be epic, but I'd settle for a 4B11 at this point.
scottyscooter says:
12:35 AM, 03/04/2011
Hahahaha, the people in charge of Mitsubishi have lost their minds!
sileightykid says:
11:31 PM, 03/03/2011
If its not called an Evo XI, no one will be satisfied. Unless, of course, you can swap out the hybrid-electric stuff for a 4G63, but thats a long shot.
angry_mushroom says:
08:30 PM, 03/03/2011
Hey... Mitsubishi. You listening? Are you? We want an all wheel drive, 2 liter, turbo charged, rocket sled for Evo XI. Do what you want with EVs, but don't try to push an electric rally car on me.
orbit09 says:
05:50 PM, 03/03/2011
When the EVO dies, the world will be worse for it.
dfschim says:
05:30 PM, 03/03/2011
It needs to be on a shortened platform to make it lighter. Cut the wheelbase to 100" and then give it a hatchback to retain the same cargo room. The Eclipse turbo 4 cylinder returns, this time with electric motors driving the rear wheels.