When Mitsubishi made the shocking announcement of killing the legendary Evolution line, the automotive community mourns the loss of a great icon in motorsports. But apparently, Mitsubishi does have some things kept in low profile, probably meant as a surprise as according to Mitsubishi Motors’ global president Osamu Masuki, the next-generation Evolution could be considered in addressing the environmental issue.
That could only mean two things; it is either going to be a hybrid or going full green as an EV, but the most possible choice among these two is definitely in embarking onto the hybrid route. Speaking at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), Masuki also spoke about Mitsubishi’s involvement in the Pikes Peak International Hill Cllimb, where they had fielded two race-prepped i-MiEV EVs. And with an impressive finish of second in the electric class, Mitsubishi now clearly believes in electrified cars for their performance models.
“We wanted to find the limitations of EVs. (We now) have quite a lot of information after doing this”, added Masuki.
Mitsubishi’s head of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHUV) also spoke about this new Evolution, where it is also considered as one of the very important assets of the company.
“As far as the Evolution is concerned, we are now facing a new world, which means that we could design an evolution of new era with this spirit. We are always trying to activate our sport car development”, said Okamoto.
In short, we’ll just put it this way. An electrified Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution; do you fancy one?
