Does Mitsubishi Matter Without The Evo?

"Andrew T. Maness" (theroadlessdriven)
07/28/2015 at 15:00 • Filed to: Mitsubishi, News, AutoTempest, Andrew Maness, Evo

When GM killed off Pontiac people were super bummed out. They were all, O h no, not Pontiac! I swear I was thinking about buying a GXP as soon as my divorce was finalized. Those folks who lamented the loss of the brand were understandably butt hurt because they felt the rug had been pulled out from under them. There might have even been a few folks who felt that way about Oldsmobile.

Evo fans definitely felt the same way when Mitsubishi announced that 2015 was the final year for the legendary nameplate, and even I, being the Subaru fan that I am, felt bad for them. Without the Evo, Mitsubishi is just another car company churning out OK vehicles and we’ve got plenty of those already.

So when Mitsubishi announced that they were ceasing operations at their only U.S. plant last week, my reaction wasn’t, O h no, not Mitsubishi! I swear I was thinking about buying an Outlander Sport because it’s actually a good value in the market place and its backed by a solid warranty. Nope, instead I thought to myself, well that sucks for the people working at the plant and then set about writing this article for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

-Andrew

email: theroadlessdriven@gmail.com insta: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (21)

itschrome > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:04

do they matter even with the evo?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:07

The G8 Sport Truck is why I’ll never forgive GM for killing Pontiac when they did. It almost happened.

Tripper > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:08

In the same boat. I feel bad for the people losing their jobs, but I have always preferred the STi to the Evo. Even if they kept producing the Evo, chances are very slim that I would ever buy one at this point. So in my opinion, no Mitsubishi does not matter without the Evo.

nermal > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:08

The Evo getting discontinued hurts a small subset of the customer base (Evo Bros), but doesn’t really hurt the entire company.

The company is transforming from one defined by the enthusiast base (Eclipse / Evo) to one driven by cheap crossovers and cheap commuter cars. Sales are up, so it looks like they are making the right call.

Mitsubishi is the next coming of Hyundai / Kia, and will slot in below the two of them as they continue to push up-market.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:22

Yeah. I meah, duh.

Kinja'd!!!

SlickMcRick > Tripper
07/28/2015 at 15:39

If EVOs didn’t hold their value so well I’d be a customer but prices NEVER DROP!!! And here I thought Subaru was bad.

Andrew T. Maness > Tripper
07/28/2015 at 15:39

Yeah I would never, ever buy an Evo. I just think there is something lost without the rivalry between the STI and Evo.

Andrew T. Maness > nermal
07/28/2015 at 15:40

You’re not wrong.

Shankems > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:43

The first car I bought with my money was a G8 GT as Pontiac was going under. After buying it, I thought to myself, “How could the company that made this, be going away?” I then looked at every other car they were selling and knew.

Mitsu didn’t matter with the Evo, and certainly won’t matter without it.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 15:44

It feels off, what becomes if the STi now? That’s what I feel is more important.

Andrew T. Maness > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
07/28/2015 at 16:06

Exactly. What I’m worried about is Subaru getting lazy without Mitsubishi to keep them on their toes. Especially since their regular cars are so damn successful.

Mercedes Streeter > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/28/2015 at 16:08

Mirage Evolution? Yas please!

Tripper > Andrew T. Maness
07/28/2015 at 16:40

I agree, there aren’t too many match ups that are oh so close like the STi and Evo

wiffleballtony > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
07/28/2015 at 17:59

Well maybe the Focus RS will fill that void?

Nauraushaun > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
07/29/2015 at 05:44

If it happened it wouldn’t be called a truck

Nauraushaun > Andrew T. Maness
07/29/2015 at 05:45

Do Kia have an Evo? Hyundai? A mediocre brand can matter without an Evo. They might cease to matter to enthusiasts, those who drive the Evo in a video game but wouldn’t buy one. But those who actually spend money on cars aren’t spending it on the Evo.

Andrew T. Maness > Nauraushaun
07/29/2015 at 12:54

Kia and Hyundai don’t have Evos because they don’t need to. They know what they are and they own that. Everyone talks about them moving up market but I still think their cars are still damn affordable, they’re just made better. So where does Mitsubishi fit into that equation? Are they going to undercut the Kia/Hyundai price point?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Nauraushaun
07/29/2015 at 15:40

The “concept” (just a rebadged Holden Ute) was called the G8 ST.

Nauraushaun > Andrew T. Maness
07/30/2015 at 00:10

I think Mitsubishi knows what it is too. They don’t make sports cars, the Evo is from a bygone era when it made sense for Mitsubishi to rally.

I don’t think they’d try to undercut Kia/Hyundai. I think they’d take the Subaru/Honda sort of approach - mid-level cars for mid-level people. But without sports cars.

Nauraushaun > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
07/30/2015 at 00:13

But it’s NOT a truck! It’s a damn ute! Sport truck is as much of an oxymoron as Sport Utility Vehicle, and that never took off did it...

Oh god.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Nauraushaun
07/30/2015 at 00:21

I could’ve cared less what it was called. It was 420+ horses of Aussie awesomeness.