Autoblog

If you've had the opportunity to pilot Mitsubishi's road-going rally rocket, you know that few vehicles in its price segment can match its combination of performance, handing and road-holding ability. So why mess with perfection? The answer is simply 'progress.' The Evolution has been the test bed of Mitsubishi's engineers for over a decade and when new technology needs a place to call home, the EVO is one of the first recipients.

Mitsubishi has been toying with in-wheel electric motors (or MIEV) for some time and although the first commercial application of this technology will find its way into Kei cars and other sub-compacts, the performance potential is undeniable. So when Mitsu's eggheads needed a development mule to show off what an all-electric performance car could do, they turned to their stalwart, the EVO.

Pop the hood and where the loveable, long-in-the-tooth 4G63 turbo'd two-liter used to reside, there now sits a large black computer module. In the trunk, it's the same story. However, move around to the wheel-well of your choosing, get down on your hands and knees and you'll see where the EVO gets its go. Behind each 20-inch (!?) roller, a 50kW motor is mounted. With four motors altogether, the MIEV EVO produces about 270 BHP and 382 ft.-lbs. of torque. With that kind of power, Mitsubishi expects their electric EVO to get to sixty in under seven seconds and have a range of about 150 miles.

We've seen concepts of such a vehicle in the past and rumors about Mitsubishi's endeavors into electric power are widely publicized, so it isn't a stretch to predict that some variation of an all-wheel-drive sedan is on the horizon. How far out, is another question entirely.

[Source: AutoExpress]