As you probably know, the Mitsubishi Lancer–based Evolution is officially dead, and it won’t be replaced with a similar model. The important thing there, however, is “a similar model.” Because while we don’t know many specifics about Mitsubishi’s plans for the next-generation Evo, if there is such a thing, we are again hearing inklings that Mitsubishi is considering Evolution-izing its next-generation Outlander Sport crossover.
The rumors of the Outlander Sport–based Evo comes courtesy of a report from Autocar magazine, which quotes Mitsubishi chief Tetsuro Aikawa as saying “In the future, we would like to launch such a vehicle with Evo characteristics. In Japanese, when you pronounce ‘Oh’ [in Evo], it means ‘king’. So we would like to launch this type of car, featuring EV and PHEV technology, which is the ultimate of its kind. ‘EV’ for electric vehicle, ‘O’ for king—Evo.”
You may remember that the next-gen Outlander Sport (which is marketed as the ASX in other markets) was previewed by the XR-PHEV II plug-in hybrid concept at this year’s Geneva motor show, and that it looked pretty bad-ass. We could easily imagine something more Evo-licious being crafted from its rib, perhaps even incorporating elements of the Evolution Concept virtual race car that Mitsubishi contributed last year to the Gran Turismo video game for PS3. After all, the virtual car was even called Evolution, and we’re sure that’s no accident.
Mitsubishi spokesman Alex Fedorak wouldn’t comment officially on the contents of the Autocar story, but when pressed about the future of Evo as a thing, he directed our attention to Mitsubishi’s recent Pikes Peak endeavors, in which Mitsubishi ran its whistling, single-seat MiEV Evolution—there’s that name again!—with four motors producing more than 600 horsepower up the famed peak in a stunning nine minutes and eight seconds. “It is clear that the brand is looking at performance with electric motors.”It’s clear to us that they work. Now, whether they deliver the visceral satisfaction of past Evos . . .
While partial or full electrification of future Evos is a damn sure bet, the Evo’s reappearance will be contingent upon the popularity of the next Outlander Sport. “To develop these kind of vehicles, we have to sell a lot of the base models, so we can cover the research and development costs,” said Aikawa, according to the report. We all know crossovers typically sell better than do sedans—especially those from smaller manufacturers—and we suppose the larger Outlander Sport will give Mitsubishi’s designers and engineers some mechanical wiggle room in which to package the powertrain and battery components.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Final Concept.
If a new Evo does show up, it won’t be for a while. Fedorak said that both the current Outlander Sport and Lancer will don the new face of Mitsubishi as part of a mid-cycle face-lift next year, and the earliest we could see the production version of the next-generation Outlander Sport is the 2017 calendar year. As for the future of the Lancer line as a whole, Fedorak said that Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America is concentrating its resources on SUVs and crossovers, and is examining the viability of that compact car in this market.
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