Mitsubishi Motors’ rally monster sports sedan may be an evolutionary dead end, but the Evolution moniker itself may live to see itself applied to a different animal.
More precisely, perhaps it’s just the “EVO” part itself. According to Autocar, Mitsubishi Motors’ head Tetsuro Aikawa expressed an interest in continuing the Evo line as en electric vehicle. In Japanese, the word for “king” can be pronounced as “oh,” and so “EVO” would be the “electric vehicle king.”
The Mitsubishi ASX, known in the US as the Outlander Sport, may serve as the basis for the company’s next performance machine. “It has to be light and fast – something performance-oriented,” Aikawa clarified, “That’s what we want.”
This echoes previous statements made by Mitsubishi head product planner Kanenori Okamoto, who has said the beloved Lancer Evolution would be replaced “in spirit” by a performance SUV.
The idea may not be as far fetched as it seems at first blush. Mitsubishi has been in the lead when it comes to developing electric rally cars for use in events such as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Last year, such a car set a new Electric Vehicle record on the famous Colorado course. Mitsubishi has also focused much of its motorsports efforts on racing SUVs in events like the Dakar Rally, where it won the grueling event 12 times overall, including a 7-year-in-a-row streak in the mid aughts.
Live images by Ronan Glon.
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