First, the good news: Mitsubishi has plans for the revival of its Ralliart brand, and rightfully so given its contribution to the carmaker’s legendary standing during its motorsport heydays. The bad news is that those plans may not be to everyone’s liking.
Ralliart's second coming is bannered by...a crossover
Mitsubishi threw fans a bone with a teaser image of its Ralliart concept vehicle in the closing days of 2021, with the iconic logo on a rear diffuser and not much else to hint at performance. Fast-forward to Mitsubishi's reveal ahead of the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, and suddenly the vision becomes a little cloudy, if we were to be honest.
This is the Vision Ralliart Concept, and it’s not exactly the anticipated Evolution comeback that loyal followers of the three-diamond brand have been salivating over. For one thing, it’s a crossover, and with a relatively higher center of gravity compared to the late Lancer Evolution series, the same legendary handling is already one foot out the door.
That honeycomb grille supposedly has a shutter system
Another apparent letdown is that the Vision Ralliart Concept will likely be an electric vehicle platform. Mitsubishi has not confirmed speculation that the vehicle is based on the Outlander PHEV, but its use of the word ‘motors’ (as in plural) indicate an electric drivetrain. Combustion engines at the audition, thank you for your time.
In any case, Mitsubishi boasts the Vision Ralliart Concept’s bold and muscular exterior styling, emphasized by the vehicle’s wide stance. As part of the Dynamic Shield fascia, the logo floats in a sea of honeycomb patterns on the grille that supposedly employs a shutter mechanism for aerodynamics. Front and rear diffusers hint at sportiness, with 22-inch alloy wheels housing large brake discs and opposed-piston 6-pot brake calipers.
There's the rest of the rear that was initially shown in a teaser image
Mitsubishi has not disclosed information on performance, only saying that the concept vehicle comes with acceleration, cornering, and braking taken to higher levels, thanks to four-wheel control tuning, improved battery capacity, and tweaked motor output. The company also claims that drivability in various road and weather conditions has been refined.
In any case, future Mitsubishi vehicles will reportedly be developed based on customer feedback on the Vision Ralliart Concept. If you know any Evo purist in Japan, this might be an opportunity to get them to campaign for Ralliart to return in a more familiar form.
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