As an electric SUV. Oh. Time to raid the classifieds for a classic Lancer Evolution

Boys and girls, it’s our first look at an all-new Mitsubishi Evo. A sentence that, ten years ago, would have had the internet comments section in an immediate froth.

There’d be debates about how much more power had been wrung out of a two-litre turbo engine, how much the rear wing had been extended by, and just how much fun we’d all have pretending to be rally drivers when we got a go in the thing. Either in real life or on a games console.

This time though, it’s different. The Nineties’ and Noughties’ seemingly endless battle between fast Subaru Imprezas and Mitsubishi Evos, um, ended. You can still buy an STI-badged Subaru, but its spec sheet has been stagnant for years. Fast Lancers, meanwhile, are dead and buried.

The e-Evolution Concept, as Mitsubishi has named the car teased above, will be at next month’s Tokyo motor show. It, we’re told, mates Mitsubishi’s latest four-wheel-drive electric setup with artificial intelligence “under a low-slung, highly-aerodynamic SUV Coupé shape.”

Which leads us to conclude it’s a sportier, sexier, cleverer version of the really quite popular Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a car that launched as a pioneer but now finds itself increasing surrounded by plug-in SUV rivals.

Will it be a proper performance car, though? After recently sampling Mitsubishi’s superb Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen, the odds seem stacked against this one. But you could argue those old Evos were very good at channeling new tech, and as highly turbocharged performance cars, were well ahead of the curve. Perhaps the e-Evolution’s ethos isn’t a million miles away.

But does it have to be an SUV? “The e-Evolution Concept signals the start of an exciting new era which will see long-term growth and sustainable development for the brand,” says Mitsubishi. To achieve those things, it kinda has to be a crossover of some description. If that really must be the case, let’s cross all our fingers and toes it’s miraculously inspired by the Mitsubishi Pajero Evo…

Mitsubishi will reportedly stop the development of car platforms for the Japanese market and resort to offering local buyers badge-engineered versions of Nissan products starting from around 2026. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the move is said to help Mitsubishi keep a cap on development costs and stem losses as they channel investment into EVs.

Mitsubishi-badged cars sold in Japan will be based on Nissan platforms and will continue to have interiors, exteriors, and drivetrains developed by the brand once famous for its rally-winning sedans and a full range of independent product offerings.

The plan, albeit not surprising, sees a piece of Mitusbishi’s individuality take yet another hit. But it’s a strategic move as more manufacturers focus on collaborating to stem spiralling EV development costs.

Mitsubishi had previously planned to stop the introduction of new models in Europe as it attempted to cut losses by 20 percent. However, in March 2021, it was announced that their presence in LHD European markets would be retained with two new Renault-based models from 2023.

The report claims that while Mitsubishi had eight platforms as of March this year, it wants to reduce them to four by March 2026, including two new platforms for Southeast Asia, with a further two being co-developed with Nissan.

Nissan bought a 34% stake in the ailing Mitsubishi back in 2016, forming the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. But ever since then, the group has struggled to turn Mitsubishi’s fortunes around, which suffered losses for the past two fiscal years.

A large-scale restructuring was announced in mid-2020. Dubbed the “Small But Beautiful” plan, the proposal will see the alliance members focus on their strongest markets and exit those where they were weak. Once popular models, such as the Lancer and the venerable Pajero SUV, have been phased out over the past years.