Click image for a gallery of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
When the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution made its North American debut in 2003, folks in Canada were left out in the cold. The diamond star vehicle's bumper design and intercooler placement did not meet Canada's low speed impact regulations. Fortunately for the land of maple leaves, Mitsubishi considered their plight when designing the new-generation 2008 Lancer Evolution. As is the case with many automobiles imported to Canada, the Evo meets the stringent bumper standards through the inclusion of a plastic bumper guard. A loyal reader sent us photos from the Canadian International Auto Show to illustrate the necessary modification. From a side profile, the almost 2-inch-thick extension above the rear diffuser has the appearance of a diaper, as it awkwardly protrudes out from the rear bumper. For your consideration, we have included picture galleries of the Canadian model along with the images from the car's US release at the end of the post.
The bumper guard isn't the only extra tacked onto the Evo in Canada. There's also a bit of a price disparity that comes with it. The Canadian Evo GSR is set at $42,993, a $10,003 difference from US-market pricing, while the WRX STI, including navigation, is priced at $46,590 -- a difference of $7,121. Fans of the Subaru WRX STI can also note that, unlike the Evo, the new Canadian scoobies do not require added stick-ons. The matter may not sway the diehard Mitsubishi fan, but it might not be enough to win over those on the cusp.
Thanks for the tip Marc!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tek @ Mar 2nd 2008 1:35PM
Ahhh, yes. The Evo. I'm in Canada and an auxillary member of the automotive press here, and I can explain Mitsubishi's reasoning behind the $10k price difference. (They owned up to the question at the recent press drive in California).
Basically, they know they can charge that much because they have a certain quota to meet to make the car profitable to sell in this country, and that number is very very small. Something like 100 per year or less. They know darn well that many Evo fans will gladly pay up to $50,000 for their dream ride. It's a silly idea, because they could sell thousands with a better price.
The other justification for the price, which is more of a f-you to us Canadian consumers, is that Mitsu knows we can't just go down to the US and buy a US-spec Evo off the lot for 10 grand less, because NO Evos are admissible to Canada, even the newest ones, for the very reason of the bumpers.
Thank you, Mitsubishi.
Of course I'm not worried - I'll get to test drive it for a week and that'll be enough for me and my friends who get to ride in it.
zamafir @ Mar 2nd 2008 2:35PM
wow, and here i thought only VW hated canada, that's pretty unfortunate.
Dusty @ Mar 2nd 2008 1:37PM
The plastic add on I can get over...the 25% price increase with the Canadian dollar above the Greenback I cannot! I just hope the current review of bumper standards they are studying goes with the US standard so importing one into Canada becomes reality.
MemphisNET @ Mar 2nd 2008 1:43PM
There's Mits wanting a buck, but then there is the good ol' Canadian credo of, ''We'll charge what the market will except''
Its why Corvette's, BMW's and Merecedes (as well as other luxury and sport brands) are way out of wack in pricing.
Noidor @ Mar 2nd 2008 1:54PM
Well this is nothing new, just another example of government busy-bodies taking the choice from consumers' and causing the prices to rise.
I think it's completely moronic to suggest that Canadian safety regulations are somehow better than those of US or EU. Having to adopt vehicles to each region adds roughly 25% to the cost. What needs to be done is for NA and EU to have one set of safety regulations - a convergence if you will.
That will drastically reduce costs for our domestic manufacturers trying to succeed in foreign markets and it'll make easier for importers to enter NA market.
Conservatives, Liberals - it does not matter one bit. Politicians do nothing but create inflation and drive up the prices.
psarhjinian @ Mar 2nd 2008 8:21PM
The bumper regs are driven by private industry (in the case, the insurance companies), not government. They lobbied good and hard for the bumper crash test.
This isn't socialism, it's corporatism.
PiCASSO @ Mar 2nd 2008 11:14PM
Exactly... any government would prefer to tax you 14% (GST & PST) on $42,993, than 14% on $32,990. That's an increased revenue of $1,400.42 per every Evolution sold. I'm glad I've moved from Toronto to Chicago to get these kind of savings on vehicles. Except that I miss the medical coverage that I got in Canada, compared to the PPO here in the US. And that's another story...
CDN Crockett @ Mar 2nd 2008 2:08PM
Sweet, where do I sign?
mctwist16 @ Mar 2nd 2008 2:16PM
couldn't they have atleast color-matched the bumper guard? i'm by no means an expert in automotive painting and really don't know anything on the subject but there must be a way...
sw @ Mar 2nd 2008 3:50PM
They had my (hopefully) future ride there as well. A lancer ralliart.
ken_aisin @ Mar 2nd 2008 4:59PM
They can charge as much as they want, consumers have the right not to buy until the price is right.
Kevin @ Mar 2nd 2008 6:38PM
All this talk about a Canadian buying a car from America because its soo much cheaper. How do you calculate that? a car that may be 10K cheaper here, ok, but then you gotta exchange your money at whatever the rate was that day, ok. Then you gotta pay the Sales Tax in whatever state you buy that car from, ok. Then you gotta take your car back across the border and pay your govt taxes on the car, ok. Then you gotta deal with all the little tidbits like your car is in MPH, Degrees F, etc etc, By the time it's all said and done you might as well have bought the car in Canada, you might save 2G's at most, it's not worth the hassle, just wait for a rebate.
SPG @ Mar 2nd 2008 8:43PM
It's true, which is why it really only makes sense to buy a car like an M5 this way.
I read an article of what a Canadian had to go through to bring a 911 from California to Vancouver and besides massive taxes he had to pay there was also a two day delay at the border.
14 Mile @ Mar 2nd 2008 9:39PM
Did you do your homework before you posted or are you one of the Braniacs at Mitsu that came up with the pricing matrix?
Dave B @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:49AM
there are actually some states where you don't have to pay sales tax if you don't live in the state. also i believe in manitoba you don't have to pay any sales tax on cars. if you really want you could call the dealer, wire the money, get a car shipper to pick up the car and deliver it. have all the paper worked faxed to the borders and to the shipping company, and everything will be taken care of. it is a hassel but depends on how much you'd like to save.
tekdemon @ Apr 12th 2008 8:20PM
Actually you don't pay state taxes if you're not a resident of that state, so Canadians don't pay US sales taxes.
The only problem is that they'll have to pay taxes when they import it, and Mitsubishi might not honor warranties.
That and the fact that they can't import the US model due to the bumper, so they'd have to get a Canadian spec bumper and get it installed then somehow get it imported...just a huge hassle.
David @ Mar 2nd 2008 7:10PM
i suggest you do more research into what you are talking about kevin
you can save over $10k on many models... the importation process generally costs less than $500.
provincial/canadian taxes are not applicable for this argument because you'd pay them for a new car purchased locally. state taxes are refundable for non-residents.
Noidor @ Mar 2nd 2008 7:27PM
David, you beat me to it. And besides, I wouldn't exactly take anyone seriously who uses "gotta", and thinks it's a word, never mind the fact that he used it 4 times.
tekdemon @ Apr 12th 2008 8:25PM
Actually the only real tax problem is that if a car isn't covered by NAFTA, then you'd have to pay an extra customs tax on top of the sales tax you normally pay.
Still, it's nowhere near $10K, but you can't import the evo due to the bumper. I think you could probably have the bumper upgraded to meet requirements but then you'd have to get the government to understand that and allow it to be imported, which might be anywhere from a headache to impossible (since you might have to prove that it's up to spec which would require a test).
The WRX though would be a pretty decent savings to import.
Poor Canada and their car pricing, lol. Even though the USD has turned to dust you guys still pay more. The funniest part is if you drive over the border bridges and the tolls are still priced with the US fare lower...hahaha.
Kareem Sultan @ Mar 3rd 2008 8:30AM
Canadians will buy this car despite the price difference from the US. If all Mitsubishi is concerned with is a small quota, they'll be happy. It really is a great car.
Its not bad on the track either. Check out a video of a rally driver put on through its paces at Calabogie Motorsports Park. There's also a video of a guy almost putting on into a guard rail.
Pretty hairy considering he was driving one of only two in Canada at the time.
http://blog.racedv.com/2008/02/mitsubishi-evo-x-in-car-video.html