Mitsubishi?s Rex wrecker

Mitsubishi Motors Australia revealed its Subaru WRX-chasing Lancer Ralliart at the Melbourne Motor Show. The price will probably be about $40,000 when it goes on sale in August.

The newest Lancer family member is designed as a stepping stone between the ES, VR, VRX and blistering Evolution X.

The Ralliart is powered by a slightly detuned version of the 2.0-litre Mivec intercooled and turbocharged engine available in the Evolution X.

Despite its lower state of tune, the car still pumps out 177kW and 343Nm and misses little in the way of performance features.

It comes with Mitsubishi's twin-clutch sportronic shift transmission (TC-SST) automated manual transmission and full-time AWD with an active centre differential.

Visually, the Ralliart has a distinctive front bumper design, rear spoiler and dual exhausts.

Apart from the Lancer Ralliart, Mitsubishi will roll out the Lancer Sportback hatch later in the year. The Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart has a distinctive front bumper.