The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X may be checking into the retirement home soon, but its structural foundation will live on.
That’s great news for all you base Lancer fans, and for the rest of us … yay?
Mitsubishi officially canned the EVO in 2014 (2015 will be its last year), stating that a lack of resources compared to its competitors made such low-volume model unrealistic. Furthermore, the brand’s recent alliance with Renault and Nissan has shifted the automaker’s focus toward mid-size sedans and joint models, so we were forced to say our goodbyes to the loveable rally machine.
And thus, we’re left with the Lancer. It may be underwhelming, noisy, and unrefined inside, but the Mitsubishi-Nissan-Renault partnership will hopefully ensure that the global model will improve for the next generation.
Automotive manipulator Theophilus Chin has digitally imagined what that next-gen Lancer could look like, and it looks part Chevy Volt and part VW Passat with a dash of old-school Subaru sprinkled over the rear as well.
Does it look as sporty and aggressive as we’d like? No, but with Mitsubishi’s changing image and revamped business plan, that comes as no surprise.
Little is known about the new Lancer at this point other than that it will likely wear revolutionary aesthetics and new powertrain options from Nissan-Renault. The Lancer has been put-putting along since 1973, so a hard reset is probably in the compact’s best interest.
As for us? We miss the EVO X already.
With Nismo and Renaultsport involved, however, the EVO could be revived in one form or another in the future. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
(Mitsubishi Lancer renderings via Theophilus Chin)
