AUTONEWS

Mitsubishi wants to bring back the Lancer Evolution

Much of Mitsubishi’s image during its 1990s and 2000s glory days was built on rally wins and sports sedans, but these days the company is better known for SUVs, pickups, and alliance-driven product sharing, like the badge-engineered Eclipse that’s really a Nissan Leaf.

Sadly, Keisuke Kishiura, a 33-year Mitsubishi veteran who took over as president and COO in April, didn’t offer any product announcements. Instead, he acknowledged the importance of those historic models to the company’s identity.

“The Lancer Evolution, Diamante, and Galant are very important cars for Mitsubishi Motors, and we believe that they are treasures,” Japanese outlet Car Watch quotes Kishiura telling investors. “At this time, there are no specific plans to introduce these, but in order to meet your expectations, we would like to make it a company that can produce such a wonderful car again in the future.”

That’s about as close to an Evo revival as anyone is getting right now. Interestingly, Kishiura sounds like a genuine car enthusiast himself. During the meeting, he revealed that one of the first cars he ever drove was an old Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo with a manual transmission.

Dreams Of A WRC Return...He also said he still loves driving and admitted that a factory return to the World Rally Championship would be a dream. Again, when it comes to WRC, there are no solid plans. But hearing a Mitsubishi executive openly talk about WRC and performance cars feels at least like a positive step in the right direction.

For now though, the company’s priorities remain elsewhere. Mitsubishi recently outlined a strategy focused on strengthening its lineup of SUVs, off-roaders, ASEAN-market vehicles, and electrified models. It also wants to leverage partnerships with Nissan, Renault, and other companies to reduce development costs.

So a new Evo would be an expensive diversion right now, but hey, every performance icon starts as an idea. The Lancer Evolution may not be returning anytime soon, but for the first time in a while, Mitsubishi’s boss is at least talking like someone who’d like it to make it happen.

The Mitsubishi Pajero is coming back, but what about other iconic nameplates? It’s a good question that came up during a Q&A session with shareholders. Three sedans were specifically mentioned: the Lancer Evolution, Diamante, and Galant. As for why the Eclipse wasn’t brought up, it has already returned. Much to purists' dismay, the name has been repurposed for not one, but two different crossovers based on Renault and Nissan models.

There are no plans to take a shortcut by reviving the Lancer Evolution as a badge-engineered sports sedan based on an existing product. At the same time, Mitsubishi admits it’s not currently in a position to bring back one of its most legendary nameplates. Still, the company’s president hopes the day will come when the higher-ups feel comfortable dusting off the Evo name once again.

Speaking during the 57th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, President Keisuke Kishiura touched on bringing back the rally icon: 'Models such as the Lancer Evolution, Diamante, and Galant are extremely important to Mitsubishi, and we consider them treasures. While we do not have any concrete plans to launch these models at this time, we aim to build a company capable of bringing these wonderful cars back to the market in the future so that we can meet your expectations. I will lead the way in this effort, and I would be grateful for the continued support of our shareholders.'

For now, Mitsubishi isn’t committing to a new Evo, but the statement at least signals a clear desire to revive the performance sedan someday. Kishiura appears genuinely passionate about the Evo and could help lay the groundwork for the model’s eventual return. As they say, grease the wheels.

On a related note, the company’s president also expressed interest in fielding a factory-backed WRC team with a new Lancer Evo. However, judging by the current situation, that remains little more than wishful thinking.

While a new Lancer Evo is a “no” for now, it’s a “maybe” for the future. How far away? Given that Mitsubishi isn’t currently developing an Evo XI, any realistic chance of it reaching production is unlikely to materialize this decade. The earliest opportunity would probably be in the early 2030s, as the company has bigger priorities to address first. For example, the return of the Pajero will kick-start an entire family of models.

Mitsubishi also needs more in-house products instead of relying so heavily on Nissan and Renault. A properly executed Lancer Evo revival could provide a significant image boost, but the hesitation to build a niche performance car is understandable. Volume-selling models will continue to take priority, and if the stars align, enthusiasts may finally have something to look forward to in the next decade.

Fortunately, there are no plans to revive the Lancer Evolution in a shortcut way, like some rebranded sports sedan based on an existing product from another manufacturer (as is the case with several Mitsubishi models based on Renault or Nissan vehicles).

At the same time, Mitsubishi admits that it is not currently in a position to bring back one of its most legendary badges. However, the company's president hopes that the day will come when the Evo badge will return.

Fortunately, there are no plans to revive the Lancer Evolution in a shortcut way, like some rebranded sports sedan based on an existing product from another manufacturer (as is the case with several Mitsubishi models based on Renault or Nissan vehicles).

At the same time, Mitsubishi admits that it is not currently in a position to bring back one of its most legendary badges. However, the company's president hopes that the day will come when the Evo badge will return.