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Mitsubishi Is Keeping The Lancer Evo's Spirit Alive... In An SUV Built By Another Company

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Mitsubishi Is Keeping The Lancer Evo's Spirit Alive... In An SUV Built By Another Company

Mitsubishi isn't ready to let its performance-car heritage fade away, even if the Lancer Evolution remains out of production. Instead, the Japanese automaker is looking to keep the spirit of its rally-bred icon alive through a very different kind of vehicle: the electric ASX VR-e.

Okay, what's an ASX VR-e anyway? It's Mitsubishi's new electric SUV for Australia, based on the Foxtron Bria, developed by Foxtron Vehicle Technologies, the automotive arm of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn. Best known for assembling iPhones for Apple, Foxconn has been expanding into the automotive industry, and the Bria is one of its electric vehicles.

Designed by Pininfarina, the crossover gets Mitsubishi-specific chassis tuning and borrows familiar performance badges from the brand's rallying past. But in essence, Mitsubishi is keeping its heritage alive with a vehicle developed by a company better known for making electronics.

Speaking to Australian publication Drive, the automaker's local boss, Shunichi Kihara, said the company intends to preserve the Lancer Evolution's heritage “in some shape or form.” The upcoming electric crossover is an early example of that approach, combining dual-motor all-wheel drive with performance figures that would have sounded impressive even in the Evo's heyday.

'Clearly, our brand heritage is around Pajero and Evo, and many people still talk about those products. That doesn't mean we don't do any kind of Evo type of vehicle, and that's why we bring this VR-e with this strong performance.'

9 seconds, making it Mitsubishi's quickest-accelerating model in Australia. With 459 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, it even outguns the most powerful production Lancer Evolution models on paper.


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