It's official: The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is dead.
After announcing last month that it would cease production of its mainstream models -- the Galant family sedan and the Endeavor midsized SUV -- Mitsubishi apparently no longer felt it needs a halo car. And while none of these models will disappear from dealers any time soon, Mitsubishi has announced it will not be working on their replacements.
The struggling automaker has said it will focus on electric cars in the future, moving away from the sporty image portrayed by its rally-inspired Evo. It is a shame the company doesn't feel it can't be green and fun, as Nissan has done with the Leaf and 370Z, Chevrolet with the Volt and Corvette, or Ford with the Fusion Hybrid and Mustang. The company's first electric vehicle for the United States is slated to be the tiny i-MiEV, due out next year. And executives have promised a full electric lineup of eight electric or hybrid cars by 2015.
We'll miss the Evo. After pitting it against another rally-inspired enthusiast fav, the Subaru WRX STi in 2009, we came away loving the Evo's instant handling response, and our two best track drivers each posted better lap times in the Evo than the STi.
Among the Evo's sales challenges were its sky-high insurance rates, reminiscent of those that killed muscle cars in the early 1970s.
For now, Mitsubishi's lineup will soldier on with the Outlander small SUV, its truncated sibling the Outlander Sport, and the base Lancer small sedan on which the Evo is based. But without the Evo, we wonder, who besides rental lots will choose to buy Lancers among a very competitive crop of small cars?
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