"We will start work on the project next year, and it will be ready within three. I have set the goal of developing a sporting car featuring electric power." -- Osamu Masuko, President of Mitsubishi Motors.
This latest batch of Evo XI hybrid news comes, like the rest, from Britains Autocar magazine. Masuko was thin on details on the new project, which we'd fully expec't from a product just entering the development phase, but Autocar is still expecting the hybrid Evo to be a diesel.
A diesel hybrid Evo would certainly help with emissions while still providing serious low- and mid-range power. Sure, it'll piss off the Evo loyalists, but they're all driving Evo IXs anyway.
While we're certainly worried about the cost of this vehicle (bringing a diesel into the U.S. isn't cheap), we're not instantly turned off by the idea of an Evo with torque that can get more than 11 mpg when pushed.
throwback says:
09:45 AM, 10/21/11
My concern is weight. hybrids aren't light.
evodad says:
09:45 AM, 10/21/11
ugghh that just kills it for me. It's already lost some of its soul. Hybrid I can see (if it were for a boost in power) but to make it a diesel also, it's no longer an evo.
Similar topic though, how come we haven't seen any diesel/hybrid cars yet? (IDK if they're available elsewhere) but I would assume a diesel hybrid would bump up mpgs even more than a gas powered hybrid.
evodad says:
09:56 AM, 10/21/11
good point, the evo has already been putting weight on over the years
elgac says:
10:55 AM, 10/21/11
Well, baring some kind of miracle breakthrough, I will not be getting an Evo XI.
kain77 says:
11:28 AM, 10/21/11
Such a shame. Mitsu used to have such an enthusiast following, from the DSM days to the Evo.
subytrojan says:
11:55 AM, 10/21/11
"Sure, it'll piss off the Evo loyalists, but they're all driving Evo IXs anyway."
Funny! My co-worker who sits next to me drives an Evo IX and agrees!
bankerdanny says:
01:19 PM, 10/21/11
I think Mitsu risks tarnishing the Evo brand with this. Absolutely build it, but don't call it an Evo.
msmlexis says:
01:56 PM, 10/21/11
In the mean time make a few small interior exterior and suspension changes and call it the Evo 11 while we wait. This helps keep the car relevant against the WRX STI that keeps getting upgraded.
06sti says:
02:06 PM, 10/21/11
While the Evo gives Mitsu lots of street cred, it is not a profitable endeavor overall. The company is trying rebrand itself as a "green" car manufacturer in order to stay relevant and competative. The Evo as we know it will be dead soon. Sad. Hope Subaru sticks to it's guns with the next STI.
garrym says:
05:09 PM, 10/21/11
I've just finished driiving the new Kia Optima Hybrid for a week and its a nice car, except its a hybrid. I'd rather have my performance provided by a gasoline engine.
Hybrids are for eco geeks. They're took coplicated, add weight and simply don't provide what driving enthusiasts want out of a car. Perhaps, Mitsubishi will change that in four years, perhaps.
eldaino2 says:
05:41 PM, 10/21/11
@throwback: my wife's insight weighs barely 2700lbs. thats a lot less than most sport compacts nowadays, most of which DONT have hybrid powertrains and arent really much bigger.
wwevors says:
05:52 PM, 10/21/11
It is clear that leading the green movement is Mitsubishi's strategy to carve its niche and survive on it's own. Evo being the centerpiece of their model lineup, it needs to showcase all the technological achievements they develop. However, I wish they developed a new halo model for their green lineup and did not alienate all the enthusiasts.
I think a better direction to go with the Evo would be to make it lighter than all the comparable cars and power it with a small (1.4-1.6 liter) turbocharged engine that is even more powerful than today's 2 liter. That would still display technological innovation in the name of better efficiency while providing even better driving dynamics. I am sure everyone would be all over a 2400 lbs 320 hp Evo. I would be the first to trade in my VIII :)
cr_driver says:
06:16 PM, 10/21/11
Looks tough, weight and price wise. But since it is to come in three years, there can be hope they can do it right.
melohor says:
07:30 PM, 10/21/11
just create another model instead of ruining the name of Lancer Evolution. We don't want "Prius Evolution", Mr. President of Mitsubishi Motors.
angry_mushroom says:
12:50 AM, 10/22/11
...So Mitsubishi thinks it'll stay in the U.S market in the near future? Good joke.
fushigi says:
09:37 AM, 10/22/11
@angry_mush: Your comment seems ill-informed considering Mitsu sales have been steadily on the rise. And not by 5 or 10%. More like 60+%.
transpower says:
06:49 AM, 10/23/11
I'm going to be contrarian here. I'd like to see a Mitsubishi Lancer (if not an Evo) as a Diesel-Electric Hybrid with a CVT and with front, center, and rear limited-slip differentials. The Evo could have the manual transmission. To lighten the weight, make it out of aluminum plus carbon fiber, please.
jazzor says:
05:49 AM, 10/24/11
"angry_mushroom says:
12:50 AM, 10/22/11
...So Mitsubishi thinks it'll stay in the U.S market in the near future? Good joke. "
^ Saved for future reference =)
I've heard this oh so many times over the past 10+ years... lol