The Evo versus STI debate is over. Mitsubishi is axing the Evo

By Joe Mahan April 3, 2014

mitsubishi ending lancer evolution production

The iconic Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution – or Evo, for short – has been around since 1992. There have been many theories surround what Mitsubishi would do with its performance sedan, from using a 1.1-liter hybrid to utilizing a direct- injection diesel setup.

The Evo has a lot going for it, but sadly the 11th generation Evo was doomed the day Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko revealed a new mid-term business plan. The plan prioritizes in-house sedans and forming joint projects with the Renault-Nissan alliance.

According to Autocar, President Masuko stated, “When you consider Mitsubishi’s size and management resources, we can’t do everything on our own.” This is true, and I can see why Mitsubishi is focusing on sales numbers rather than track times.

Mitsubishi is ditching the Evo because it wants to increase global sales by 29 percent to 1.43 million by the end of the 2017 fiscal year.

So what does this mean for the future of Mitsubishi’s performance line? Nothing, because currently the company has not directly revealed any outlines for the next Evo.

Don’t worry, Mitsubishi has no plans to stop racing at Pikes Peak or halting its pursuit of performance. It’s just switching its performance propulsion from gasoline to electricity.

With no Evo for the future, the classic argument of which is better, the STI or the EVO is now over. No more tuner-car battles and no more four-wheeled, four-door, four-cylinder madness.

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Joe Mahan is an intern at Digital Trends working in the Cars section. He is currently a Junior at the University of Portland…

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Toyota tests hydrogen fuel tanks… with bullets

toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle tanks tested with bullets fcv concept at ces 2014

In a famous piece of advertising showmanship, Pontiac executive John Z. DeLorean demonstrated the brand's new-for-1968 Endura front bumper by hitting it with a hammer. Toyota has done DeLorean one better.
Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress this week, Toyota executive Bob Carter said the company fired bullets at its hydrogen fuel tanks to test their durability. Some have questioned the safety of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles because they have to carry the same fuel as the Hindenburg. As far as ways to shut them up go, this sounds like a pretty good one.
Carter said small-caliber rounds bounced off the carbon fiber tanks. A .50-caliber round - the kind used in an M2 machine gun or a powerful sniper rifle - was able to penetrate the tank. "And, even then, it just left a hole and the hydrogen simply leaked out." he said.
Apparently feeling as invincible as his company's hydrogen fuel tanks, Carter also name-checked the leads of rival carmakers. "Personally, I don't care what [Tesla Motors CEO] Elon [Musk], [Renault Nissan CEO] Carlos [Ghosn], or [Volkswagen of America CEO] Jonathan [Browning] say about fuel cells," he declared. "If they want to 'plug-in and tune out' of other technologies, that's fine."
Toyota will launch a production hydrogen fuel-cell car in 2015, based on the updated FCV concept it unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, and brought to CES earlier this month. The car will have a 310-mile range and will take about three minutes to refuel, Toyota says. It could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the viability of hydrogen cars, but at least customers will know that this one does decently well in a gunfight.

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Will the next Humvee be a Subaru-powered diesel hybrid?

tardec ulv a subaru powered hybrid humvee replacement prototype

Subaru owners are stereotypically peaceable and good-natured, so what's one of the company's boxer engines doing in a military vehicle?
According to Jalopnik, this Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) prototype is powered by a hybrid powertrain centered around a Subaru turbo diesel engine. It's teamed with a pair of electric motors and a 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.
The ULV was designed to solve two problems for the military: fuel consumption, and the need for a more cost-effective and versatile replacement for the Humvee.
It's undergoing testing by the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), an organization created in 2010 to find a Humvee alternative that can "balance payload, performance, and protection" without breaking the bank.
As far as performance goes, the Subaru diesel engine produces 175 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, but - as in a Chevrolet Volt - the engine is primarily used as a range-extender. Most of the motivation will come from the electric motors, which produce 268 hp and 844 lb-ft each, "peak" power of 269 hp and 1,221 lb-ft is available on demand.
Each motor is attached to an axle and capable of driving the ULV by itself. The Department of Defense says the vehicle will do 74 mph in hybrid mode or travel up to 21 miles on electric power only. Total range is 335 miles at 35 mph on level ground.
In addition to making the ULV more fuel efficient, the electric motors also eliminate the need for driveshafts, allowing engineers to better-shape the underside of the vehicle to deflect explosions.
An armored ULV weighs 13,916 pounds, only a little less than a fully-armored Humvee. However, it still has a payload of 4,284 pounds, and can climb a 60-degree slope.
All of that technology comes with a price tag of $250,000, which seems like good value. A Rolls-Royce might be more comfortable, but it probably won't do as well against an IED.

Cars

Mitsubishi’s Montero is coming back the U.S. and it’s bringing some big batteries

mitsubishi montero coming back u s bringing batteries gc front light on

There are a lot of people who have fond memories of the last Mitsubishi Montero. In fact, there are a lot of people still driving their Montero everyday, even though the last new one came to the United States in 2006. But this traditional rugged SUV might be making a comeback in North America in a new much more advanced guise.
The next generation likely to come to the U.S. is not just going to be the first redesign in more than 14 years; it will also be sold as a plug-in hybrid. Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko told AutoNews that the car should be out before the end of the decade, but refused to offer any more details than that.
The Montero is known as the Pajero in most of the rest of the world, and a slight redesign of the old generation is still on sale in many countries.
The reason for the long delay likely has a lot to do with the difficult restructuring period the company has been through, as it tries to bounce back from years of losses. During Masuko’s tenure the company focused on producing more small and efficient cars like the i-MiEV. This strategy has been a success elsewhere but left the company doing extremely poorly in the United States.
A new Montero could do a lot to turn that around, especially if the car ends up being anything like the GC-PHEV that debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier this year. The concept features a hybrid drivetrain, as well as aggressive angular styling, which is a fresh take on the somewhat outdated looks of the last generation of Montero.
For all of Mitsubishi’s focus on the tech in the new midsized SUV, the company does want to retain its commitment to the off-road performance that has long been a hallmark of the Montero. To accomplish this, the car should feature the new S-AWC - or Super All Wheel Control system - that combines all-wheel drive with, stability and traction control.
Masuko believes that the new Montero, along with a brand new Mirage and Lancer, can help re-establish Mitsubishi’s presence in the United States. While he said that he did not think that it would be likely that the company could regain its mid 2000s sales peak, he said that the company had no plans to close its U.S. facilities and expected to be back at 150,000 annual sales by the end of the decade.
I hope that’s the case, because, while the Mitsubishi lineup has been pretty grim for some time, I would hate to see another Japanese automaker go the way of Suzuki and withdraw entirely from the U.S. Market.