There has been a lot of blog posts saying that the current Lancer Evolution, in its current 10th generation "X" guise will be the last. Fan boys got quite upset, some of them setting up various Facebook pages and assorted websites to voice their dissatisfaction. To all these people - relax everybody, chill and have a beer. The Lancer Evo is not dead, far from it. The next generation Lancer is rumored to be released sometime around 2013. Just that it will not be in the same current format - high strung turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol with permanent 4WD clad in 4-door saloon body with bulging arches.
The rumor went viral when Autocar UK journalist Matt Prior revealed in his scoop news section Autocar Confidential that Gayu Eusegi, Mitsubishi’s global product director revealed to him that, reproduced in verbatim - The Lancer Evolution X, Eusegi told me, will be the last Evo. “There is still a demand [for the car],” he said, “but we must stop.”. For more info go here.
Obviously it was a case of company personnel gone rogue, and expecting the news to go viral via Facebook and blogs, on the same day Mitsubishi's PR machinery went on damage control mode by issuing a quick statement on the Lancer Evolution's official Facebook page that Further to some comments published in the press recently, production of the current Lancer Evolution continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package & architecture. Stay tuned..
Like all scoop news, until something is announced officially, there is always a chance of an earlier made decision to be overridden. Plus, I would think it would be a massively short sighted move for Mitsubishi to junk the Evolution badge. Even after ignoring enthusiast sentiments, surely the Evo brand still carries a lot of commercial value and it is only prudent business sense to continue nurturing it. While the company's management wants to be a leader in EVs, with the i-MiEV small car or whatever future EV models, these EVs cannot yet assume the position of a "halo" leader car to champion the Mitsubishi brand. Come to think of it, the Mitsubishi brand doesn't have a very strong USP (unique selling point) apart from its motor sports heritage. The company's management likes to think that they are leaders in the EV segment by launching the first mass produced practical EV car, but unfortunately this is not something the consumers will recall easily at the mention of the Mitsubishi brand. There is still a wide disconnect between the company's perception and consumer's perception. And what better way to bridge this disconnect than to leverage on the Evolution's strong brand recognition?
Hence, Eusegi-san didn't actually mean that the Lancer Evo will be dead, it will just appear in a different form. Something electric. For better or for worse, enthusiasts bettter get used to electric and hybrid performance cars. Existing political pressure especially in developed markets, trends in transport regulation environment and societal perception of political correctness makes it not possible to keep high performance cars a commercially viable venture anymore. Besides, the Group A and WRC category that the Lancer Evolution was homologated from does not even exist anymore. Even Subaru does not even bother to have its Impreza challenging the Lancer anymore and has decided to make a more grown up car with wider appeal.
For the next generation of performance cars, Porsche have started the ball rolling with its 918 Spyder Concept - a hybrid sports car than laps the Nordschleife (Northern loop) of Nürburgring in 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT.
Ferrari have previewed its 599 HY-KERS concept and have many times hinted that a hybrid Ferrari is on the way.
An electric Evo has always been in the plan all along, since 2005 when Mitsubishi unveiled the Lancer MIEV electric performance car concept for entry to the Shikoku EV Rally 2005, a rally open to all EV vehicles. The rally is run on 800km of public roads around Shikoku Island over 3 days. 8 charging points with current supplies between 20A and 30A were provided throughout the course. Results of the rally however were not found in any English media.
The 2005 Lancer MIEV Concept. MIEV is short for Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle.
Mitsubishi's EV technology trump card - powerful in-wheel electric motors that replaced the Evo's heavy 4WD mechanicals. Though the production i-MIEV uses the MIEV name, it does not feature in-wheel motors due to various cost, packaging and engineering complexity reasons (the car still shares parts with its petrol driven equivalent).
Having said that, we can confirm that the current Lancer Evolution X will be the last of its kind. It is not just the last "old school" Lancer Evolution, but the last of its kind; the last rally bred 4-door saloons as the Impreza WRX have long hung up its rally jacket. Aside from the Toyota 2000GT and the Datsun 240Z, classic Japanese cars have yet to see any significant appreciation in their value. But this could change in the future. And no, the Corolla AE86 maybe overly priced thanks to Initial D anime, but its prices are still hardly punters and auction houses material. Whatever the case, if you can get your hands on one, we think you should do your very best to keep it in pristine condition and do not for heaven's sake slap on any crap after-market bits to it. Take cue from potential Japanese future classics like the iconic Toyota Supra and Mazda MX-5 and Honda NSX, only standard specs unmolested cars hold their value. If you must tune it up, use only bolt-on parts that allows you to revert back to the standard factory specs later.
Other future classics
The first generation Lancer Evolution
Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen edition, built to commemorate Mitsubishi's star rally driver Tommi Makinen - we think this is the most significant Evo in its history, it is how most of us who grew up lusting after one want to remember the Evo as, when it was at the peak of its game. Which was before Sebastien Loeb, the Michael Schumacher equivalent of the rally world, came into the picture with Citroen C4 and made everyone else looked like they were kids fooling around with pedal push cars in a playground sand box. Mitsubishi slowly lost the game and eventually pulled out of world rallying.
Finding a decent one of these is extremely difficult as most Evos are owned by racer boys who often talk big better than they can read / think / drive. Thus maintenance can be spotty, many of them suffered major accidents in their life, engines were worked hard, and an even larger number on the road are cheap replicas built from standard Lancers to be passed off as the real deal. Potential buyers need to check the chassis numbers to verify the authenticity. Google can help you with that.
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