Bad news: Mitsubishi’s storied Lancer Evolution will stop at 10 after the 2015 model year. Good news: It will go out with a bang.
Jalopnik recently held an AMA with Mitsubishi Motors USA executive vice president Don Swearingen. There, one of the commentariat asked if there would be an Evo XI. His response:
There are currently no plans for an Evo XI.
We do plan on launching a special edition in June/July of next year as a going away edition. It’s a GSR 5-speed. More horsepower, some suspension tuning, and some bits pieces that are still being finalized. Around 2,000 units will be available.
Other notable statements from the AMA: Mitsubishi wants to return to the D-segment with a replacement for the Galant; is considering more electrification of its lineup, including a PHEV; says no Delicas will be sent to the United States anytime soon; and will be bringing a concept to the 2015 Chicago Auto Show heralding what the new Montero could look like.
Damn.
It’s was always a mystery as to why the STI sold more. The Evo was always faster, more agile and better looking. The interior of the Scooby was better, sure, but that couldn’t have been the sole reason.
Naw, I think this is pretty much due to Mitsubishi’s overall issues. Sad to see it go.
I don’t know how much better the Scooby entire was but I will say the new gen model’s interior is much better than the EVO. And the EVO’s isn’t really bad but kinda plain.
What I don’t understand is why the car never got a six speed manual? The five works really good given the cars powerband but is less than ideal s on the highway. A geared high sixth could’ve increased highway mpg and provided a bit of relief during interstate stints.
Oh, lots of little things; STI has a full size gas tank, much more practical interior space, slightly less brutal suspension setup from the factory. Arguably more ‘pure’ (for whatever that’s worth) AWD setup, and certainly more robust. An STI is essentially a platform you can tweak to be almost any sports car you would like. Almost entirely with off-the-shelf parts.
The real appeal of the Evo was always that little gem of an engine (especially in comparison to the rather glassy EPA-hobbled lump in the last 8 years of the STI) and the pure race focus of the suspension/drivetrain setup. The torque vectoring was always _cleverer_ than the STI, but didn’t seem to make the car a lot quicker in real use on loose surfaces. Top Gear once said that the Evo was the car you wanted to drive around the Nurburgring but the STI was the car you’d want to drive home. Horses for courses and all that.
I for one shall be very sad to see the Evo wink out.
(disclaimer. I comparison shopped the two a couple of years ago and settled on a ’14 STI hatch. The interior of which is, frankly, nearly as bad as the Evo. I deal with the threat of engine fragility by budgeting a properly built replacement into my financial calculations around the car. Built with forged pistons, they’re really not bad lumps if you don’t lug ’em)
Sad to see this car go. I always read from reviews that the evo was a better track car, although I never drove one. I also think that the Evo-STi battle ultimately led to better cars overall between these two.
Mitsubishi’s solution to it’s US car sales is to kill off the enthusiast vehicle while introducing a new full-size car.
Is there a TTAC pool going on for how long until they finally pull out? Why haven’t they done it already?
Mitsubishi can sell a Galant replacement to its subprime buying crowd. It can’t put those people into an Evo.
The subprimes buy the regular Lancer?
IMO Evo > STI in every category I can think of including reliability/durability. Okay… maybe the STI interior has a nicer finish. I guess Subaru has this cult following of masochists.
You’re probably right, but depending on what you’ll be doing with the car the WRX just might be a better deal than both.
As a huge Mitsu fan this is really disappointing. I was under the impression that the EVO was one of – if not the – best selling model they have, so to me it doesn’t make sense to axe it. The EVO also happens to be their best and most competent product.I also think the EVO is a better car than the STI.
I’m (obviously) not very interested in what they are planning to bring here soon, but my hope is that they can even survive here period. Hopefully if they continue to stay alive in the US then eventually they will create something special to replace the EVO.
Until then, at least I have my 3000GT VR-4 to remind me of Mitsu’s brighter days.
Every time I drove by a Mitsubishi dealer in the Detroit area over the last couple of years, all I saw was a bunch of Evos, and a couple of Outlanders. If you used that dealer as your source of Mitsubishi information, you would think they didn’t produce anything else.
That’s all I’ve seen for quite some time.
No Evos here, in fact, most of the local Mitsu dealer’s inventory is used cars from various other brands.
Do/did they produce anything else? Aside from the evergreen Fuso.
Since the demise of the 3000, te only Mitsus I’m aware of, are Evos in Cali, and Outlanders with old school tractor diesels (that didn’t self destruct every 50-odd miles like new school common rail ones) in Europe.
5-Speed – COMING next summer? What else will it have – a four-barrel carburetor and curb feelers?
Buh-bye.
Anyone remember how Mitsubishi took to the internet looking for evidence of EVOs participating in autocrosses and track days so they could deny warranty claims? I’m guessing owners effected by the program looked elsewhere for their next cars.
Swearingen? Isn’t he the foul mouthed brothel keeper from Deadwood? Not sure how much credence I would put in his pronouncements.