Will there be a next Mitsubishi Evo? According to Mitsubishi president Tetsuro Aikawa, the Japanese automaker has plans to create an all-new high performance vehicle. However, the exec also hints that the Evo successor will deliver a very radical departure from its current form.
“In the future, we would like to launch such a vehicle with Evo characteristics. In Japanese, when you pronounce ‘Oh’ [in Evo], it means ‘king,’" explained Aikawa to Autocar. "So we would like to launch this type of car, featuring EV and PHEV technology, which is the ultimate of its kind. ‘EV’ for electric vehicle, ‘O’ for king - Evo.”
According to reports, the upcoming Mitsubishi EVO will be based on the next-generation ASX crossover and, as the EV in EVO suggests, will feature a high-performance version of Mitsubishi's PHEV power unit. The next-gen Mitsubishi ASV was previewed at the Geneva Motor Show as the XR-PHEV II concept. The concept also featured a plug-in hybrid gas-electric unit that is expected to produce 160 bhp. No doubt, the powerplant will produce significantly larger numbers for the EVO.
“It has to be light and fast - something performance-oriented. That’s what we want,” explained Aikawa. The next generation EVO will also adopt several lessons that Mitsubishi has learned from its years of competition at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb including the recent Mitsubishi i-MiEV racing car.
Stay tuned as we learn more.
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