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  Australian customers - both private and motorsport - are unlikely to be heavily impacted by the change in Ralliart's circumstances.

The global financial crisis has claimed another victim.

Ralliart - a name synonymous with performance and motorsport success both on and off road - will be absorbed back into Mitsubishi Motors Corporation at the end of this month.

Ralliart Inc president Masao Taguchi announced the company - established in April, 1984 as the central body for its growing motor sport program - had fallen victim to the economic downturn which had ‘radically changed’ the business circumstances for the brand. 

"We have reached the conclusion that we would scale down our business activities as of the end of March 2010.  "We would like to express our sincere apology to all of customers," he says in the statement.

Australian customers - both private and motorsport - are unlikely to be heavily impacted by the change in Ralliart's circumstances.  Mitsubishi spokesperson Lenore Fletcher says the change in Ralliart will have little impact on Australia.

"My understanding of the situation is that the Ralliart brand has been brought back under the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) umbrella.  The thing to understand here is that the Ralliart vehicles and Evolution vehicles have always been under MMC in any case, developed by MMC in conjunction with Ralliart.

Mitsubishi Australia says between 2004 and this year about 3100 Ralliart-branded cars have been sold here, with a further 100 Lancer Ralliart Evolution VI Tommi Makinen imported in mid-2001.  "The only area that I understand that it effects is parts for competitors and enthusiasts, but it won't have any effect here as they can go to the same outlets that they went to before - basically it's business as usual.

"Our dealers are going on as they do currently, there won't be any changes to numbers - so I don't see any impact on Australian competitors," she says.

The company has a long history in motorsport globally since its was founded as Andrew Cowans Motorsports Limited by Cowan, who won Mitsubishi's first international motorsport title at the 1972 Southern Cross Rally - the first of five wins at the NSW event.

Ralliart's highlights include the 1998 Manufacturers' World Rally Championship title, four drivers' championship titles for Tommi Makinen between 1996 and 1999 and a record twelve victories in the Dakar Rally since 1982.