Mitsubishi promises to "evolve" Lancer Evolution, lowers price in UK

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR – Click above for high-res image gallery

After a strong backlash from its announcement that the Lancer Evolution would be no more after its 10th generation, Mitsubishi has backpedaled on its decision to kill the car. The automaker promises that the Evo X will live out its life cycle as planned, and will continue to evolve in the future, but that may mean going a slightly different direction.

Mitsu is trying to balance the necessity to move toward more eco-friendly conveyances while not alienating the huge fan base that the Evo has cultivated since the first-generation car was introduced in 1992.

Along with its promise to keep building Evos and find a way for them to fit in to Mitsubishi's new green lineup, the company has lowered the price of entry for the Evo X to £29,699.00 in the UK. While there's no word yet on what the new Evos may wind up looking or behaving like, there's at least a tenuous promise that the car will continue.


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[Source: Mitsubishi]
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ICONIC MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION EVOLVES
~ Mitsubishi Motors in the UK confirm the continuation of the exciting high performance Lancer Evolution X ~


CIRENCESTER, UK – Built in Japan, the Lancer Evolution X is a refreshing alternative for customers looking for timeless elegance and presence, sharp dynamics, reliability and value-for-money, all delivered by the quality brand that is Mitsubishi Motors.

Reduced Pricing & Positioning
A 4-door street-legal rally car with an undisputed heritage, and still a technology leader with its Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) and Twin Clutch Sports Shift Transmission (TC-SST), the Lancer Evolution X cannot fail to substantiate its claim. With a fully integrated and sharp design, and comprehensive equipment, as well as its controlled driving the Lancer Evolution X shapes up to the likes of premium German performance brands as well as more traditional Japanese competitors.

Having sold over 6,000 Evolutions since the year 2000, the legendary Evolution X remains extremely popular with a very strong price point versus its competitors in the same market segment, such as the Subaru WRX STi and the Ford Focus RS, with Lancer Evolution X prices starting from just £29,699.00. In addition to its competitive front-end price, the Evolution X FQ-300 SST retains a strong residual value.

Heritage
Now based on Mitsubishi's 'Project Global' platform, along with Lancer, Outlander and the all-new impressive compact cross-over, the Mitsubishi ASX, the Lancer Evolution has a heritage of over 40 years in motor sports at the highest level – including four Driver and one Manufacturer World Rally Championships and overall victories in some of the toughest African and Australian rallies.

The Lancer Evolution X is the latest vehicle in a glorious line of Mitsubishi sports cars that started with the Lancer 1600 GSR in 1973, followed by the EX 2000 Turbo in 1980, the first Lancer Evolution in 1992 and its eight subsequent generations.

Intelligent Motion
Powering the Lancer Evolution X is a 4B11 DOHC MIVEC turbocharged engine, focussing efforts on creating a high output engine that returns competitive fuel economy with cleaner emissions.

Since our inception in 1970, Mitsubishi Motors has been at the forefront of technical innovation – a pace setter, a game-changer, establishing the tempo for the rest of the industry with our advanced and efficient technological systems. Mitsubishi Motors is playing an active part in helping to reduce the impact that our endeavours and our customers' activities have on the environment.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has been committed to reducing CO2 emissions throughout its factories, offices and sales bases worldwide for many years and has recently announced at Geneva Motorshow 2011 that a number of Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) and pure Electric Vehicles (EVs) will be available by FY 2015.

MMC President and Global Chief Executive, Osamu Masuko has said:

"We recognise that automakers have a responsibility to take the lead in developing environmental initiatives... Our goal is to become a world leader in the reduction of CO2 emissions on a global scale."

Masuko continued to say:

"Production of the current Lancer Evolution X continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package and architecture. MMC has kept the Lancer Evolution sedan evolving as the brand's highest performing model in the global market. However, as the markets needs and demands change, MMC is considering not advancing the Lancer Evolution concept in the same way as before, but to find a different direction for the Lancer Evolution model to evolve. The new direction, the technologies involved, and corresponding products will be disclosed in due course."

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