Lancer Evo to stay for now

The viral message swept globally last week but today splattered the brick wall outside the Mitsubishi head office in Japan. The bad news is that it wasn't a rumour - Mitsubishi made a statement that it was to shelve the Evo and concentrate on other projects, particularly electric vehicles.

Mitsubishi president and Global Chief Executive, Osamu Masuko, says his company 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."

Enthusiasts took the news hard - so hard in fact that it caused Mitsubishi to back pedal and saying the Evo X will live out its life cycle. To appease the raucous crowd, Mitsubishi in the UK lowered the price by about $2000. Problem solved. For now.

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But the heart-stopping moment when fans learnt Mitsubishi was to scrap the Evo may return. Mitsubishi sees sockets and power points through the windscreen and is pushing even harder for electrical white goods like plug-in hybrids.

It is likely - not confirmed - that the next Evo is still some way off and that when its new generation arrives, it'll have some electrical element.
Mitsubishi is on record as being committed to cutting CO2 emissions in its factories and offices.

It already has its i-MiEV micro-car on sale in most countries and next year follows that up with an all-wheel drive SUV version, the PX.  Masuko-san says carmakers have a responsibility to develop environmental initiatives.

"Our goal is to become a world leader in the reduction of CO2 emissions on a global scale," he says.  Production of the current Lancer Evolution X continues as planned.

"As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package and architecture.  Mitsubishi has kept the Lancer Evolution sedan evolving as the brand's highest performing model in the global market. However, as the markets needs and demands change, Mitsubishi is considering not advancing the Lancer Evolution concept in the same way as before."