Next-gen Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to go hybrid?

Next-gen Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to go hybrid?
By Drew Johnson - Posted January 15th 2010

Mitsubishi is placing a new focus on green motoring, with that shift expected to carry over to the next-generation Lancer Evolution – the company’s top performing model. The next-generation Evo XI will reportedly come packing a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
According to Motor Trend, Mitsubishi has decided to go green for its next-generation Evolution model. Set to be based on the same platform as the PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid concept, the Evolution XI will reportedly feature an electric motor derived from the i-MiEV and a high-output 2.0L MIVEC turbo four-cylinder.

Straying from the typical hybrid model, the Evo XI’s electric motor will be used exclusively to drive the car’s front wheels. When extra power is needed, the 2.0L gas engine – rumored to develop 320 horsepower – will fire up, providing propulsion to the vehicle’s rear wheels. Under most driving conditions, the Evo XI will be an electrically driven front-driver.
Thanks to its plug-in drivetrain and lithium-ion batteries, the Evo XI will have an all-electric range of several miles, which should provide a significant boost to overall fuel economy.
Despite its green intentions, Mitsubishi engineers are still setting the bar high for the next Lancer Evolution. The Evo XI is expected to make the sprint from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, with the car’s electric motor acting as a secondary — and smoother — turbo. And since electric motors make all their torque from 0 rpm, the Evo XI shouldn’t experience any turbo lag.
Mitsubishi is working on a number of other technologies for the Evo XI – including Active Steering and Roll Control Suspension – pushing the car’s launch date back a few years. Expect to see the Lancer Evolution XI in Mitsubishi showrooms sometime in 2013.
16 COMMENTS
1. Hyperion195 days ago
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  0-60 in 4.5 seconds is hard to argue with… but the car being a front-driver unless you punch the gas doesn’t sound like one of the characteristics of an Evo. And offering no turbocharged engine? I wonder how well this new drivetrain would fare in WRC, because that has been a large appeal of buying a roadgoing Evo: that you are driving a car that could, if you wanted, be converted into full race trim.
  
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2. TnTPhilly195 days ago
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  another source says its the same 2L turbo mill in the Evo X, just bumped. If not, I’d like to know more about a production NA 2.0L with 320 hp
  
  The EV engine probably won’t change over to the gas motor unless you hit a certain RPM threshold, say 2500-3000. I personally think this is very cool, but it will push the car way out of my pocket book’s range…
  
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3. mobile1ph195 days ago
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  This has crap written all over it. Gone are the glory days of the Evo I suppose.
  
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4. orangecones195 days ago
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  Hyperrion….. they wont get the 2.0L to over 300hp if its going to me naturally aspirated. So I am pretty sure some sort of tubro is in order. As for the setup, its the reverse of what Nissan uses in the non-US spec Cubes. In the Cube, the engine powers the front wheels in pretty much all conditions until there is slippage / bad traction, in which case a small electric motor spins the rear wheels giving you an intelligent hybrid AWD setup for moving in snow.
  
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5. Borat195 days ago
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  Will Mitsubishi be around to see this coming to fruition? Will Japan invest in dying company like our government invested in GM and Chrysler?
  
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6. JakeK66195 days ago
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  I have 500 bucks on Mitsubishi being extinct by 2012 – at least for the NA market.
  
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7. RaineMan195 days ago
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  Are you sure that isn’t backwards? It would make a lot more sense if the car were traditionally powered most of the time, and the electric kicked in when you really mashed the “go” pedal.
  
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8. DenverGuy217195 days ago
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  I don’t even remember if I saw them in Detroit this week. Must have walked right by without even noticing. dang….
  
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9. floor_it195 days ago
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  @ Denver – unless you walked right by the Mitsubishi design office transplanted into Detroit, you probably didn’t see them, lol
  
  My guess is since Mitsubishi doesn’t factory sponsor rallycars anymore, this wouldn’t be out of the question for a consumer version. I thought I remember Mazda throwing around the idea of electric-assist for a future turbo rotary sports car to give it a no-lag linear acceleration rate.
  
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10. tHeWasTeDYouTh195 days ago
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  “I HAVE COME TO DESTROY YOU”
  
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11. johnnycanuck195 days ago
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  Mitsu needs to be worrying about green alright… but how about thinking more along the lines of generating some of it with a volume model.
  
  And speaking of which, I’d take your bet Jake but I think you and I should save our loonies and greenbacks for a potential gold medal game that has a distinct possibility of taking place in my backyard. I still get to cheer for Kesler though… right?
  
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12. bigdman195 days ago
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  @Hyperion
  
  From what i know the mitsu is not in the WRC… mayb P-WRC or sumthing… or as a private entry… They pulled out long while ago…. Thats y i never consider them… they r not true to their breed
  
  Then again i might b wrong.
  
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13. daiso193 days ago
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  The Japanese auto makers are too many. There is no room for japanese garbage auto makers in near future. chinese and indian are comming. some of the Japanese garbage auto makers should be clean up. Mitsu is one of them.
  
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14. rarson193 days ago
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  Hybrids for performance luxury cars make sense… they’re big and heavy anyway. A car like the Lancer EVO really can’t suffer from the added complexity, weight and space limitations of a hybrid drivetrain. Mitsu has made a lot of mistakes in the past (and I thought they were finally starting to turn things around), and this seems to be another huge one.
  
  Hybrids for fuel economy reasons are retarded and a waste of technology. A 93 Civic with a few mods and some careful driving will do 55 mpg, more than any Prius on the road, with better acceleration and handling. This misguided push towards hybrids is only going to set back development of automobiles for decades to come.
  
  Then again, Mitsu engineers, when they really focus on making a great EVO, can make technology work greatly to their benefit (I might remind everyone that Mitsubishi actually developed and patented balance shaft technology for 4-cylinder engines which Porsche licensed from them in their 944). If anyone COULD make this work, it’s them. Then again, they’re equally able to make it suck and become a total failure.
  
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15. ResponseGenie192 days ago
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  up to this point I have read some of your comments and can agree and LARGELY disagree…Mitsubishi pulling out of NA market would only benefit Mitsu and everyone in this comment section who agrees because truth be known it is the only Japanese Automaker that is full fledged UAW, Normal, Illinois. It cannot revitalize synergies of Japan vs US market segments for instance Eclipse is sold primarily in US and recently in Canada nowhere else, the Grandis minivan which is Europe and Japan’s hottest MPV isn’t sold in US. NA contracts won’t be to Mitsu’s advantage until they sever ties with UAW thanks to the pillaging done by Diamler/Chrysler. Mitsu is one of the largest companies in the world! More so than any in history after world war 2 they were demonopolized by US gov’t because of their technical advantage/capacities split into several entities banking, heavy industry, chemical etc.. The Japs can’t and won’t bankrupt Mitsu because Mitsu is the Nikkei Average, they own the Bank of Tokyo much like they owned Rockefeller Center of NYC during the 80′s. Let’s not stray from this potentially good article of what’s to come the core message is that the Evo is evolving as it has done every generation ahead of the pack in terms of tech, speed and AWESOMENESS. This car knows its heritage and the engineers are the same since day one. One things for sure we all grow up but we never forget where we came from.
  
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16. protonzdead2me192 days ago
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  the Evolution is Evolving…
  go figure!
  
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