Is this the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI?

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is still one of those cars that we miss greatly til today. The last of its kind was the tenth iteration Evo X, which wrapped up three decades of Evo production in 2016 with the Evo X Final Edition model. Since then, Mitsubishi has shifted its focus on SUVs and electric cars.

But a glimmer of hope has come in the form of a strange prototype spotted being ‘driven’ on the streets of what seems to be somewhere in North America. We used ‘driven’ because, as much as we’d like to see a real Mitsubishi prototype actually being on the road, this is in fact a rendering of a prototype in motion on the street only. yeah, we wish it was real too. But let’s just pretend that this is real and start digesting the images. Immediately apparent is that it does have the proportion and styling cues of a Mitsubishi, and it’s pretty safe to say that the renderer was envisioning the next-generation Evo. While the car is heavily disguised, a closer look at the details will reveal those pumped up boxed fenders, bonnet vent and prominent rear spoiler, all trademark Evo design elements. If you’re still not convinced that this is indeed a rendered Mitsubishi, zoom in on those wheel caps and you’ll see the Mitsubishi logo on them.

The thought of a Evo revival gives us goosebumps. So let’s go on and speculate more. In terms of what’s under the skin of the new Evo XI, if it does eventuate, we can expect a turbocharged engine supplemented by some sort of electrification. It will be the first time a hybrid powertrain is used in an Evo. Being an Evo, all-wheel drive with complex torque vectoring is certain to be employed. With potential rival like the Volkswagen Golf R already punching out at least 230kW and the next-gen Subaru WRX STI, which is also almost certain to be a hybrid, rumoured to pack 300kW, we can expect the Evo XI to also dish out close to, if not 300kW.

Whatever powertrain and output figures the next Evo end up having, we’ll be beyond excited if Mitsubishi decides to green light the return of the Evo. Fingers crossed.

Photos by ProPhotoJapan