Mitsubishi resurrected the Eclipse name last year, but instead of a sports car it used it on a compact crossover and added the “Cross” suffix.
This means that the Evo moniker could make a comeback as well, although not as we would expect it to.
Speaking to Motor1, the brand’s UK Managing Director, Lance Bradley, said that “there’s nothing in the pipeline at the moment” when asked about the return of the Evolution name. However, he added that there’s “no reason” why it wouldn’t make a comeback at some point in the future.
“Anything’s possible – nothing’s ruled in and nothing’s ruled out”, Bradley commented. “If there were to be one, it would probably be different from what it’s currently. The day of the very high-powered sedan car from us is probably gone, but as long as it lives up to the ideals the Evo demonstrated, there’s no reason why we couldn’t do it with a different kind of vehicle.”
So what does this mean? If we were to speculate, then we would say that the Evolution will go down the same road as the Eclipse, namely being brought back on a new SUV. Still, given its status, Bradley added that “it could be an option for a more performance-oriented version of one of the models”.
The company’s official admitted that the rally-bred sedan is an iconic car that has lots of fans with “a very emotional attachment”, so leaving it alone, rather than messing with it, could be the better option.
Mitsubishi dropped the Lancer Evolution in late 2015, with the Final Edition. The swan song was limited to 1,600 examples in the United States, priced from less than $38,000.
For a car that originally went into production in 2007, the Evo X is quite exciting to look at and drive, with its specific exterior and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine rated at 303hp and 305lb-ft (413Nm) of torque. But what really set it apart was its spectacular all-wheel drive system that allowed you to do things you probably shouldn’t be able to – and feel safe while doing them.
Since the Evo name is inextricably linked with Mitsubishi’s exploits in the WRC and the resulting road cars that, apart from the last one, felt like 1980s’ taxis inside but performed and handled like rally homologation specials, perhaps the best course of action is leaving this particular nameplate well alone.
Note: Mitsubishi Lancer Final Edition pictured
