The next-generation Mitsubishi Evo is set to dump turbocharging in favour of electric power in a move that moves the hot Lancer even further away from its rallying roots.
The story comes from Motor Trend in the US, but apparently Evo fans don't need to panic completely because the Evo XI, due in 2013, will be a hybrid rather than a pure electric car - and should have up to 350hp in standard trim.
The idea is that the electric motor will provide the power boost currently supplied by turbocharging, but with a smoother, more immediate (and not to mention more fuel-efficient) power delivery.
The technology for the hybrid powertrain was first showcased in the PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid concept from last year's Tokyo motor show and entails a naturally aspirated petrol engine boosted by a lithium ion battery-fed electric motor.
In the Evo XI, the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine will drive the rear wheels, while the electric motor will drive the fronts. The eventual result will therefore still be four-wheel drive, and Mitsubishi is said to be aiming at a 0-60mph time of 4.5secs.
The tradition of bells-and-whistles technology will continue with the 2013 Evo, too, as Mitsubishi is planning to introduce active steering and roll-control suspension. These technologies were apparently originally planned for the Evo X, but a lack of development funds meant that Mitsubishi was forced to put the new techno-wizardry on the shelf for a generation.
The idea of a hybrid performance car remains pretty controversial, but Honda is softening up the market with the new CR-Z coupe, as is Toyota, with its recent MR2-based hybrid concept.