RE: Is The Mitsubishi Evo Dead? Um, Maybe
Monday 7th March 2011
Mitsubishi's planned repositioning as a 'green' car manufactuer won't necessarily mean the end for the Lancer Evolution, says the Japanese car company.
However, reports of the Evo's death may be somewhat exaggerated, as Mitsubishi hurried this statement out via Twitter before the weekend: "Production of the current Lancer Evolution continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package & architecture.
Is The Mitsubishi Evo Dead? Um, Maybe
Green ambitions won't kill Evo, but it will change
Last week, Mitusbishi's global product director - Gayu Eusegi - told Autocar that the Evolution X would be the last Evo. "There is still a demand, but we must stop," he said.
Meanwhile, US blog site Jalopnik got a comment from a Mitsubishi spokesman, saying that "The current Evo is planned through 2012-2013, but we're not talking about our plans after that."
Such vague comments are worrying, especially coupled with the fact that a new evolution of the Evolution is conspicuously absent from the company's medium-term business plan.
"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."
Discussion
The germans are putting bigger and bigger engines in their cars (very ecoligical indeed), the French don't care but the Japanese decided to be all green by killing one car that sells really well and makes the image of the whole company.
Is this stupid or is this stupid?
Without EVO Mitsu will follow the same path as Toyota. It will produce nothing but boring taxi boxes. All it takes now is for Subaru to drop STIs and Nissan to drop 370Z and the GTR and there won't be a single interesting jap car on the market.
Where's the new Supra? Celica? GTO? FTO? NSX? We want cars, not taxis!
Is this stupid or is this stupid?
Without EVO Mitsu will follow the same path as Toyota. It will produce nothing but boring taxi boxes. All it takes now is for Subaru to drop STIs and Nissan to drop 370Z and the GTR and there won't be a single interesting jap car on the market.
Where's the new Supra? Celica? GTO? FTO? NSX? We want cars, not taxis!
The current Lancer-Galant-Fortis line up has been a disaster for Mitsubishi and will be axed as soon as they can get something of a similar size out of the door. And no, there will not be an Evo version of whatever that replacement is. Mitsubishi staff (that is folks in the trenches here in Japan rather than talking heads and spin doctors overseas) have been clear on that point for well over a year.
IF the Dollar, Euro and Pound suddenly strengthen against the Yen (or the Yen dives) so Evos can be sold for 30,000Quid again, and IF the FIA suddenly remembers that rallying is supposed to involve real cars rather than (almost exclusively European) bespoke racing cars then there may be a rethink.
Don't hold your breath.
IF the Dollar, Euro and Pound suddenly strengthen against the Yen (or the Yen dives) so Evos can be sold for 30,000Quid again, and IF the FIA suddenly remembers that rallying is supposed to involve real cars rather than (almost exclusively European) bespoke racing cars then there may be a rethink.
Don't hold your breath.
RobCrezz said:
Andrew[MG] said:
Keep the Lancer as a family car and make a 4WD, turbo FTO replacement. Problem solved.
I agree with this, and im an Evo owner. Now that they are not rallying, why not make a lighter coupe with all the tech from the Evo.
examples -
BMW M5 vs M6
Bentley Flying Spur vs GT
When petrol prices double I think we'll all start to understand why cars like this are either being killed off or drastically reengineered.
It's not about the environment. It's about those pesky middle easters wanting democracy, freedom and all the things we have. Socioeconomic advancements cost money. Which means the price of a barrel of oil will continue to rise.
Which is why I want an electric diesel plug in hybrid Range Rover. :|
It's not about the environment. It's about those pesky middle easters wanting democracy, freedom and all the things we have. Socioeconomic advancements cost money. Which means the price of a barrel of oil will continue to rise.
Which is why I want an electric diesel plug in hybrid Range Rover. :|
Ozzie Osmond said:
If someone can explain to me ahow a rip-snorting Evo is any less green than a 2 tone Porsche hybrid I'd love to hear it!
http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search/vehicleDet...http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search/vehicleDet...
243g of CO2 per kilometre versus 159g. Of course, Porsche are gaming the official test, like everyone else flogging a hybrid is, but in terms of being able to do business in Europe, test performance is the only thing that matters.
However great it might well be to have a 2.0l 4-cyl engine producing +300bhp, if it means only managing "15mpg and servicing every 400 yrds" then it simply isn't fit for today's world; a 4 door saloon car like this need to have a cheaper Cost of Ownership.
Maybe MMC can produce a Evo coupé instead, and with Toyota and Subaru going down this route maybe it won't be long before MMC do the same, however unfortunately for us petrolheads Toyota and VW have been making god awful boring cars and selling too many of them for too long that other companies don't see that the need to cater for our needs to make a profit.
Maybe MMC can produce a Evo coupé instead, and with Toyota and Subaru going down this route maybe it won't be long before MMC do the same, however unfortunately for us petrolheads Toyota and VW have been making god awful boring cars and selling too many of them for too long that other companies don't see that the need to cater for our needs to make a profit.
I've had 3 Evo's (a VI RS11, a Tommi and an VII FQ300) and I loved them to bits, but the price of super unleaded is seriously going to kill them off.
X servicing is better (is it 10,000 miles now?) the older cars were every 4500 miles or 6 months.
I don't do more than 12,000 miles but I can see myself back in an Evo.
X servicing is better (is it 10,000 miles now?) the older cars were every 4500 miles or 6 months.
I don't do more than 12,000 miles but I can see myself back in an Evo.
Munich said:
However great it might well be to have a 2.0l 4-cyl engine producing +300bhp, if it means only managing "15mpg and servicing every 400 yrds" then it simply isn't fit for today's world
Well, I get 25-27mpg out of my STI 330S regularly and it dynos closer to 345bhp with a 10,000 mile/12 month service interval. For all people keep harping on about Subaru alienating their customer base with a hatchback (because we all remember the Integrale and 205 T16 saloons, hatches just can't be proper rally cars...), what Subaru also managed to do was make the STI a proper daily ownership prospect without the usual compromises. Given how well the current STI with Spec C suspension has been received, and the prospect of it actually gaining a decent bodyshell next year (finally) if they put the Impreza Concept onto the current oily bits, then there should still be at least one proper homologation special still being sold in the UK. Because, having driven all the other drivel manufacturers are passing off as hot hatches (bar the Renaultsport twins, but they're just too fragile), I really can't face UK roads without some vaguely interesting affordable, yet practical, metal. Miura Anjin said:
The current Lancer-Galant-Fortis line up has been a disaster for Mitsubishi and will be axed as soon as they can get something of a similar size out of the door. And no, there will not be an Evo version of whatever that replacement is. Mitsubishi staff (that is folks in the trenches here in Japan rather than talking heads and spin doctors overseas) have been clear on that point for well over a year.
IF the Dollar, Euro and Pound suddenly strengthen against the Yen (or the Yen dives) so Evos can be sold for 30,000Quid again, and IF the FIA suddenly remembers that rallying is supposed to involve real cars rather than (almost exclusively European) bespoke racing cars then there may be a rethink.
Don't hold your breath.
If and I do mean IF they can afford to replace them. The car part of Mitsubishi has been effectively bankrupt for over 10 years and the parent company just can't, despite trying very hard, get any one to buy them. Let's not forget that in a manufacturing segment where the existing models are replaced every 3-5 years the previous Mitsu range was to 10 years old when it was eventually stood down.IF the Dollar, Euro and Pound suddenly strengthen against the Yen (or the Yen dives) so Evos can be sold for 30,000Quid again, and IF the FIA suddenly remembers that rallying is supposed to involve real cars rather than (almost exclusively European) bespoke racing cars then there may be a rethink.
Don't hold your breath.
Mitsubishi Motoring's financial status is why they pulled out of rallying, why no replacement for the FTO appeared (despite their most their rivals having suitable models) and why there was some surprise when the first of the new shape Evos suddenly appeared.
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