Mitsubishi Could Bring Back Iconic Lancer Evolution With 336-HP Renault Engine: Report
A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution XI could rock the same engine as the upcoming Mégane R.S. super hatch.
The Subaru WRX STI might wanna watch its back because its former archrival might be preparing to make a return. According to a report by Autocar citing "Japanese-based sources," Mitsubishi may be planning to revive the Lancer Evolution.
A future Evo XI would apparently take advantage of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and borrow an engine from Renault Sport's next-generation Mégane R.S. hot hatch. Specifically, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo producing around 336 horsepower mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission and Mitsubishi's own S-AWC all-wheel drive. The report also says the next Evolution would sit on a version of the alliance's CMF-C/D platform, which is related to the architecture found underneath—among other vehicles—Nissan's Rogue and Rogue Sport as well as the Infiniti QX50.
Back in the '90s spanning to the mid-2000s, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was largely known as the Coca-Cola to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI's Pepsi with its rally-derived all-wheel drive, high-horsepower turbo 2.0 liters—and of course—massive rear wings. It was even a hero car for not one, but two Fast & Furious movies.
The Evolution X debuted in 2007 and never received a significant update after that, ultimately going out of production in 2016.
Since the Evo's departure, the sport compact landscape has changed. If Mitsu's iconic rally-car-for-the-street ever does come back, it must contend with stuff like the Ford Focus RS, VW's Golf R, and the Honda Civic Type R as well as the obvious Subaru.
This remains a rumor for now and until the company is spotted running around in some suspiciously big-winged test mules, we're gonna go ahead and file this under "we'll believe it when we see it."
When asked whether the rumor held any merit, a Mitsubishi spokesperson told The Drive in an email: "We do not comment on speculation."
