Tuesday 7th October 2014

Mitsubishi Evo - it's over

Paris interview confirms it - Mitsubishi is now about EVs, not Evos

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Until last week we along with many of you were nursing hopes that Mitsubishi was busy finding a way to reinvent the legendary Evo.

Turns out we were wrong. The nail in the coffin of one of the most famously unhinged cars ever to be released to the general car-buying public was delivered by Mitsubishi's CEO Osamu Masuko, who told PH in an interview at the Paris motor show, "We don't have any plans of developing a successor to the Evo."

So there we have it. The dream has died. And yet as recently as March we had been told by the UK MD Lance Bradley that the company was working on a successor, promising us "the most powerful Evo ever." Back in 2011 on a press trip to Tokyo Mitsubishi had been a little more cagey, Mitsubishi executive VP Gayu Uesugi telling us, "We must make another fun-to-drive car, but we can't just make another Evo."

FQ-440 looks like being the last hurrah

Lance Bradley is one of the car's biggest supporters and was instrumental in reviving the current car with a run of 50 of the Evolution X, dubbed the FQ-440 MR. The meaning of Bradley's cheeky 'FQ' prefix is well known, the 440 indicating just how far official tuned up Evos could be pushed. That car is still advertised on Mitsubishi's site, so if you've got £50,000 to spend you might just to able to grab the last one - ever.

And what is Mitsubishi going to build instead? "We've decided we're going to focus on electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles," Masuko-san told us. A blow, but not a surprise when the current Outlander PHEV is selling well and actually making the company money.

Mitsubishi can't even change its mind without making a very expensive investment. Previous generations of Evo were derived from the humble Lancer, which we occasionally got in its more bread and butter format. But Masuko said the company now won't develop its own replacement but instead build cars on a bought-in Nissan-Renault CMF platform. This is the one that underpins cars like the Qashqai and next-generation Scenic, and not something you could easily install your own S-AWC Super All Wheel Control system onto.

So that's it, end of an era. Farewell then, Evo: the car that taught us the right order for Roman numerals (sadly not beyond X) and never knew the meaning of overpowered or underwinged.

[Sources: Mitsubishi UK]

 

[soad]

Shocking news. Suppose, doesn't come as too much of a surprise.

[wab172uk]

You'd have to be mad.

[smilo996]

Does not sound the same does it. Wot do ya drive....an Ev. Shame, always liked them.

[Darkslider]

As an aside, as awesome and bonkers as the special edition FQ-440 is, £50k for one is seriously strong money. What else with similar levels of performance and practicality can be had for the same/less?

[Ephraim]

Sad to see the end of them, but hardly a surprise. Evo VIII is still on the list.

[un1corn]

Darkslider said:

As an aside, as awesome and bonkers as the special edition FQ-440 is, £50k for one is seriously strong money. What else with similar levels of performance and practicality can be had for the same/less?

Porsche, M5, maybe even a cheap Aston.

Anyone who would spend 50k on an Evo is down right insane.

[911p]

Darkslider said:

As an aside, as awesome and bonkers as the special edition FQ-440 is, £50k for one is seriously strong money. What else with similar levels of performance and practicality can be had for the same/less?

M3 saloon with 430bhp is only £6k off.

[anonymous-user]

50k? Barely used GTR. It's a similar type of vehicle.

[soad]

La Liga said:

50k? Barely used GTR. It's a similar type of vehicle.

Yes - turbocharged and 4WD.

[l354uge]

The king is dead.

Long live the king.

[LukeR94]

No way, For a Playstation generationer like myself this is very sad news.

The highlight for me would have to be an EVO 6 TME (Tommy Makinen Edition)

[E65Ross]

un1corn said:

Porsche, M5, maybe even a cheap Aston.

Anyone who would spend 50k on an Evo is down right insane.

Wow, can you show me which brand new Aston, M5 or Porsche (with 4 seats, like this) that I can get for 50k!?

[rallycross]

Great cars but the things that killed these off is the high cost of petrol and the massive hit in depreciation new buyers face when they come to change.

[un1corn]

E65Ross said:

Wow, can you show me which brand new Aston, M5 or Porsche (with 4 seats, like this) that I can get for 50k!?

Sorry, where did I say brand new?

Anyway, take a look:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

I can keep going all day.

[GTEYE]

Its kind of been over for quite a few years now though, so no real surprise.

Could somebody let Subaru know?

The world has moved on. Not necessarily in a good way though.

[E65Ross]

un1corn said:

E65Ross said:

Wow, can you show me which brand new Aston, M5 or Porsche (with 4 seats, like this) that I can get for 50k!?

Sorry, where did I say brand new?

Anyway, take a look:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

I can keep going all day.

You didn't.

Brand new costs more than second hand car shocker!!

When an Aston is brand new for 100k do you say why buy that when you could have xyz instead? Have you thought that some people spending 50k in a car don't want something that is 7 years old?

Don't get me wrong, I can see the appeal but to compare new vs used is a bit daft.... Otherwise new cars would never be purchased, and they'd be no 2nd hand cars to choose from.

Edited by E65Ross on Tuesday 7th October 13:50

[LP670]

The 5 and 6 were the peak for these and after that it started to go downhill.

[PaulD86]

Hardly a surprise really. And to be honest after how disappointing I found the EVO X (I was set on buying one until I drove a few) maybe it's just as well. I'd still love a VI TME or an IX FQ 360MR though.

[seefarr]

RIP EVO.

Never has so much performance been available to so many for so little. I loved mine. Unflinchingly reliable and as easy to drive as a normal car.

[Gixer_fan]

".... but instead build cars on a bought-in Nissan-Renault CMF platform. This is the one that underpins cars like the Qashqai and next-generation Scenic.."

Not sure if that's the best starting point for 'another fun to drive' car.