We know how long a lot of you have been waiting for any tidbit of info on the next Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. News has been slow to come by, but yesterday Dubspeed Driven scored some outstanding spy shots of what might be the EVO X. One can see a clear inspiration from the Concept-X show car that Mitsubishi rolled out at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show in the shape of the headlights and vertically flat front end.
The next Lancer Evolution will come to market as a 2008 model and be based on the same GS platform used by the Dodge Caliber. It certainly appears to be a much beefier sedan than the tiny Lancer it's replacing, although rumors suggest that it will be lighter than the current Lancer Evolution and have more than 300 horsepower under the hood.
As incredible as this car promises to be, how many think it will save Mitsubishi's slumping sales in the U.S.? One could make the argument that the EVO X is the perfect halo car, as its lineage with the Lancer will be very visible and could do wonders for increasing that car's street cred. For those that don't want EVO amounts of power, there should also be the Ralliart and OZ Rally Edition models. In fact, Dubspeed Driven's editor notes that these shots may actually be of the Ralliart model, but we'd like to keep believing they're not.
[Source: Dubspeed Driven via Winding Road]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Scott @ Jul 11th 2006 1:37PM
based on the caliber platform!!! haha way to go mitsu! you sure do know how to kill a great car. I thought only mitsu USA knew how to kill a good car (1g/2g DSMs).
Jason @ Jul 11th 2006 1:44PM
I guess you judge cars based on platform rather then, well, the car. Good luck with that.
lavardera @ Jul 11th 2006 1:51PM
Eeew! Man, it takes more than the headlights to capture the spirit of the Concept-X. Look at the shape of the roofline arch. This car is peaking over the rear door where the Concept-X is already sloping down to a fast back. And the wheel well flares are much larger on the X. This thing looks/feels more like a Sebring if you ask me.
Scott @ Jul 11th 2006 1:54PM
No, I judge the cars based on mitsus own history. Ive been into 4g63 powered DSM's since the 90's. Sure the 3g and 4g eclipse sold more than the 1g/2g's.. but they were inferior to the originals and sold merely due to the halo affect(just because a car sells a lot doesnt make it good). I own an EVO and DSMs and I'd say I am a good judge of these cars.
Giggles of Doom @ Jul 11th 2006 2:14PM
Actually, the roofline looks more or less spot on. Its missing the spoiler, of course, and the headlights, while a simular shape, look dumbed down. It may be the Ralliart version, as the concept had much wider wheel flares. Look at the back side windows, too. The mirrors are much larger, and I am not sure if I like that or not yet. Judging from the guy inside, unless he's huge, it does seem like it will remain a somewhat smaller car, which bodes well for nimbleness.
Give me wider wheel flares and a second tailpipe, cooler wheels, then woo! Any word of if it will have an option for a normal stick?
Max @ Jul 11th 2006 2:21PM
I dunno about spot on. The front end looks very dumbed-down under the camo. I suspect the production car will be much more tame than the Concept X was.
I wouldn't worry about what platform the car is riding on though. Mitsubishi will make it a performer. This is their halo car. They won't screw it up.
emulous1974 @ Jul 11th 2006 2:26PM
Yeah, they did such a poor job basing the EVO off the Lancer Platform. You obviously haven't driven an EVO to know what Mitsubishi enginers are capable off.
I think what would save Mitsubishi is putting as much effort into all their cars that they sell like the EVO, then hand over the management to someone else and Mitsubishi could have a nice chunk of the world market.
atlkustoms @ Jul 11th 2006 2:32PM
Little do we know??? Caliber is based on Mitsubishi platform!!!!!!!
Dave T. @ Jul 11th 2006 2:35PM
I believe it is a "global" platform shared between the two. And in fact i'm not so sure that is even accurate as regards to this vehicle.
Regardless note the huge huge huge indent for the hood scoop!
Berto @ Jul 11th 2006 3:02PM
you gotta be kidding me...that looks like a redesigned mazda3, you guys are loosing that eagle eye.
Davis @ Jul 11th 2006 3:32PM
I think the Caliber's platform came from Mitsubishi. I'm so glad Mitsu and DaimerChrysler finally parted ways. This car has to be a hit, for Mitsubishi's sake.
ruf-jason @ Jul 11th 2006 4:06PM
I'd put good money on this one being a RalliArt or similar version based on the (lack of)size of the brake caliper behind the wheel, no Brembo's there at all
Aki @ Jul 11th 2006 4:19PM
Rims are way to big for a Ralliart version, it has to be the Evo. Nor are the brakes that small. There's still considerable fender flare, it's just not as hyper exaggerated as the concept.
PJ @ Jul 11th 2006 4:28PM
Scott, it didn't say that the Evo is "based on" the Caliber platform. The Caliber was developed by Mitsubishi. In simplistic terms, Dodge borrowed the new Lancer's platform for their small car.
And lavardera, you have to remember that this car isn't just the Evo. As the Lancer, it's going to be Mitsubishi's most crucial family-car offering in several global markets. Family cars with no rear headroom don't sell too well.
Anyway, I don't see how anyone can judge this design as "watered-down" considering that the headlights are all you can see of the front fascia. None of us really has any clue what it looks like. What I do approve of, though, are the aggressive low-hood/short-deck proportions. From what I can see, the side profile reeks of Lexus IS, which could be a real draw in the econocar (Lancer ES) and sport-compact (Lancer Ralliart) segments.
In any case, I sincerely hope this turns out to be a competitive product. The Evo is a given, but a truly competitive Lancer could be Mitsubishi's turnaround product.
JarryHames @ Jul 11th 2006 4:31PM
I'm surprised to see that Mitsubishi is in business and making cars. I thought that Hyundai took over their place in making over-designed and over-hyped junk!
naggs @ Jul 11th 2006 5:59PM
why are you guys commenting about the front end, you cant see anything. those who are complaining about the platform sharing obviously dont know what a platform is.
cBennett @ Jul 11th 2006 6:32PM
I was under the impression that the Evo X was going to be based off the next gen Lancer. With that in mind, I'm betting that this is just the regular Lancer. High performance models generally debut after the base model and this is the first picture I've seen of the new Lancer/Evo.
Bilco @ Jul 11th 2006 8:13PM
It's a platform jointly developed with Chrysler to be used in several small vehicles, just as the current Lancer platform is.
Don't worry, Dr. Evo has done just fine with that older lowly platform, not to mention what NASCAR engineers have done with their humble beginnings.
Chris @ Jul 11th 2006 11:53PM
Who cares? Mitsu will be gone by 2010.
tio @ Jul 16th 2006 10:00PM
There was nothing wrong with the present lancer other than being out of date style wise. It is not a tiny car. A chevy Matiz is a tiny car.