The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution as we know it is probably dead forever and if its name ever comes back it’s going to be a crossover.
Rumors are abound as of late that the fire-breathing, WRX STI beating, Honda Civic Type R eating Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution would be making a comeback with some sort of 11th edition showcasing 341 HP or something like that. Let me all but put those rumors to rest and boldly claim that those rumors, mainly started by Autocar, are complete bull.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution died, is dead, has been dead for more than four years and will never come back like you want and here’s why.
Let’s break apart Autocar’s key statement where this pleathora of rumors came from.
Details remain scarce, but suggestions are the followup to the Lancer Evolution X produced between 2007 and 2016 would share key elements of its drivetrain with the next-generation Renault Mégane RS, with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a dual-clutch gearbox and an advanced Mitsubishi-developed S-AWC four-wheel drive system.
Suggestions? What do you mean by suggestions? Some other car outlets claim that suggestions is hyped up to be “Japanese sources.” No. Just plain no.
EightMotoring even went so far as to stretch that “suggestions” to mean it’s now “Confirmed on the way.” Get out of town!
When I spout a rumor, there’s a shred of truth based on some sort of reality that would lead me to make some claim. Autocar’s alleged Lancer Evolution comeback claim is, as mentioned, bull.
Here are a couple of facts that we know for certain.
Mitsubishi said that this rumor was so bad, they won’t dignify it with a comment.
Usually, when more established news outlets reach out to the source for comment, at the least they’ll politely decline without going into further detail.
When CNET’s Roadshow reached out to Mitsubishi for comment, a media outlet that’s been around since 1994, Mitsubishi, in more or less words, politely told them to drop it.
In an email, Mitsubishi denied to comment “on speculation.”
Speculation. Noun. The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.
Mitsubishi is pretty much telling the greater automotive media that what you’re saying has no evidence and is plain ol’ theory.
The Lancer is dead.
First, Mitsubishi discontinued the Lancer back in 2017. While the Lancer was Mitsubishi’s entry-level offering when you wanted something more substantial than the Mirage, towards the end of its life cycle, sales plummeted considerably.
Why? The Lancer just plain sucked. Mitsubishi was barely selling a thousand units a month towards the end. Inexcusable.
Motor Trend called it aged but reliable. Not exactly heart pumping. Against the light years ahead Civic, Corolla, and Impreza, the Lancer stood no chance. People did not want to slam $20,000 or more for a car that had clearly superior options from a nameplate that, at the time, seemed headed for the toilet.
If they weren’t selling Lancers, there’s no way they’d consider bringing back a Lancer Evolution.
There’s no market for a Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi is limping along now. Sure, their press release might sound rosy with “fastest-growing Asian brand” but they are a shadow of their former self in a clear rebuilding stage.
That being said, with the Lancer gone, you’d think sales of the WRX STI, a substitute for the Lancer Evolution, would improve now that it has no competition.
Wrong. No one’s buying WRX STI’s as much either.
As per TorqueNews last year in a trend that’s the same today “WRX/STI sales tank.” TN does quote Subaru saying they’re sticking with their sedans and will come out with another WRX STI so that’s nice of them but probably not a smart move to allocate resources to their cars like that at the moment.
And the numbers speak for themselves. Subaru lumps WRX and WRX Sti sales together but as per CarSalesDatabase, since 2016 there’s been a steady decline of sales of the Impreza WRX and WRX Sti month after month.
2019 is the worst year yet for WRX and WRX Sti with a record low in January of just 1,751 WRX/STI’s.
The current market is NOT buying souped up AWD sedans. Maybe in Europe, but not in America.
If it’s not working for Subaru, what makes you think it’ll work for Mitsubishi?
Mitsubishi is slowly making its comeback no way in part because of cars, so leave them alone and let them grow.
Mitsubishi is chugging along quite nicely for what it is, running its own race, and getting wins where it can. They went nuclear on their cars with their Mirage the only non-Crossover.
According to their latest numbers, Crossovers make up 83 percent of all their sales and it seems to be working for them.
If we love Mitsubishi and want them to thrive, we need to support what they’re doing right now and that’s a mostly all crossover lineup.
Please, don’t bother them with this Lancer Evolution nonsense.
If Lancer comes back, it’ll be something like a smaller Outlander or a Nissan Kicks.
Here’s another fact and quote. As per Mitsubishi Motors COO Trevor Mann
“Obviously as a brand you need entry vehicles, you need to ideally bring somebody into your brand and then walk through the brand as their lifestyle changes, be it financial or family driven.”
“We’re not saying yes, we’re not saying no – but obviously we’ve got some ideas in the pipeline.”
At the time Mann said that, TFLCars predicted that meant cars, but, in this current crossover climate, an entry-level N. American car would be a smaller crossover comparable to a Nissan Kicks, Ford EcoSport, Honda HR-V etc.
If the Lancer would come back, it would be in the form of an entry-level crossover like the above.
Where would this Lancer Evolution fit in?
There is no market for a Lancer Evolution, it would cost considerable amounts of R&D to bring one like the Evo X back, and the entry-level car on which it would be based on probably won’t come back as a mid-sized sedan but a crossover.
So, no the Lancer Evolution probably will not come back. Deal with it.
Do you think I’m wrong? Let me know in the comments below.
