Death of a Legend: Mitsubishi Evo X
By Josh Wittenburg
For years, the Evo platform has been a proud competitor with high performance vehicles. Amongst all the cars hype, came the announcement in 2014 from Mitsubishi that 2016 (production stopped in 2015) would be the demise of the legendary street machine. For some this was just a prolonged ending to a car that needed to be killed off years prior, and for others it came as a slight shock, and myself being one of those people. The Evo was the car that Paul Walker made famous in Fast and Furious, an iconic automobile that struck attention the minute it rolled by, the Evo X was no exception, following the path of the Evo, it was initially a majority favorite from its release in 2007.
With a price tag of about $38,000, the general populace was not in favor of choosing the Evo over popular competitors such as the Subaru Sti. For many, the end was well expected, due to the innovation slump that the Evo found itself in, and for a little less than a decade since its introducing, barely anything has been altered...at all. The same stock 5 speed manual gearbox used for most generations, is a major turnoff to many, and it’s ability to compete with technology found in modern cars today sets the Evo back majorly. Nothing pushes the Evo apart from its counterparts any longer, and for the majority of consumers, and due to the large price tag of the Evo X, it can be clear as to why this car failed in sales for its final years.
The number of these cars sold each year though, has been considerably low, in terms of being purchased through dealers, reaching a few thousand per year in the states. The used market on the other hand has thrived with Evo X’s for many years, but in looking at the purchasing of the model brand new, Mitsubishi hasn’t flourished with the production of this car, especially since just 1,600 2015 models were made to finish off the series, in the United States. So this begs the question; why would Mitsubishi continue making these cars over the years, and not make any alterations, if dealer sales were not doing well at all? The answer is uncertain, but possible in consideration that Mitsubishi has been moving to more subcompact cars and utilitarian vehicles, this being further backed by the fact that the company has not announced a following to the death of the Evo X.
There is yet another side to play in the argument that could be offered in that if Mitsubishi were to develop overall newer and better models each year, they could’ve kept the Evo X line alive, and flourishing as it did in its initial release years. By using the same platform as the prior year, with very little changes, Mitsubishi really managed to limit their own potential, also by adding a hefty price tag. Consumers were no longer interested in a brand new model, when in reality, a few models older was all too similar to bother spending the extra money. It’s upsetting to see such a poor decision in ending the car, but at the same time, a bittersweet one that makes sense in the eyes of the consumer. I personally think that had the company pushed in new technology and made more drastic improvements and tweaks to the car, to keep up with modern day competitors, the scenario would have played out far differently, and in good terms towards Mitsubishi. The loss of money over the years of creating these street monsters was not the expectation looking back to its initial unveiling, and from an economic standpoint is costing them the future of a great platform, and customer base, who no longer have a reason to support the company.
The argument of whether Mitsubishi could have kept the Evo alive is a very vast argument. But by saying that if Mitsubishi were create a new brand of car to keep it alive is another subject. Creating another brand might be one solution, just the hard part about that is guessing whether it would promote the Evo more, or less. If they were to do this they would also need to lower the price of the Evo to get more sales. With the amount of sales they have gotten over the years you would expect them to have made that decision already.
ReplyDeleteThe death of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was long in the making. Over the last ten years since the debut of the Evo X, there has been little change. The changes that have came have only been negative. While the appearance of the car hasn't changed at all, Mitsubishi starting producing the Evo X with just basic interior, a non-aggressive look. Also, Mitsubishi has let Subaru dominate the market. Since 2007, there have been four different generation changes to the STI. Not only did Subaru change the outside of the car, but offering aggressive interior and a six-speed gearbox is what consumers are looking for. While the demise of the Evo might be sad to see, it is exciting to see what the market will bring, as competitors such as Ford with the Focus RS are already proving to be a consumer favorite.
ReplyDeleteI think the Evo would of been an amazing car if Mitsubishi put the time and effort into making better technology for the car. By keeping almost every model the same it made consumers really think what their spending their money on. In this situation as the quality of the Evo stayed the same over years the sales went down with it also creating a stoppage in production
ReplyDeleteThe Evo should have died a long time ago, since it hasn't changed it hasn't done anything new. Like its competitor the Subaru WRX has changed a lot over the years new technology advances and other advances in it. But the Evo never did any changes. I think all in all it was good that the Mitsubishi Evolution died it opens the door for new platforms and new cars to take its place.
ReplyDeleteI think Mitsubishi was trying to make a sports car for cheap so the consumer could go fast and feeling like they were driving a high speed vehicle but by leaving out new technology it wasn't what is generation was looking for. If the Evo had a newer gearbox and a new cockpit the car probably would have thrived because car people like myself like to see an iconic car like the Evo but not something that looks out of date. When it comes down to it I agree that if they would have made changes to their cars the Evo would have made a better run.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason behind the Evo's subsequent death in the automobile industry is that for the past 15 so years it has lived off its own nostalgia of the old days. We have seen this year after year with Mitsubisi refusing to change barley anything about the car. While its main competitors the Subaru Wrx and Volkswagen GTI have both adopted a more modern sleek design. I believe this above all else contributed to the fall of the Mitsubishi Evo, a company that refused to change anything in fear of the consumers rejecting the adoption of a more modern and contemporary look.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that the car’s production had to be halted but I feel it was only the best for the company. With the price being the same if not higher than competitors like the STI and GTI but no continuing modernization, the public's demand for the car is sure to drop. Many consumers in today’s market are looking for more advanced technology within the car and the lacking improvements to the Evo X can be attributed to the lack of sales. Personally I would have been happy if Mitsubishi would continue the production, but for the company it was the right thing to do in order to prevent from losing money instead of making profits. If the company was more willing to move out of the Evo X comfort zone and come up with new features, the car may have survived.
ReplyDeleteJaeger H
This could definitely cause problems for Mitsubishi in terms of the people buying Mitsubishi for performance cars. The Evo X was their claim to fame, whether it was being bought by drifters, tuners, or even ricers, there is no doubt the Evo was popular. Sure Mitsubishi still has the Eclipse which is really their only other performance car, but it pales in comparison to the Evo. It will be interesting to see if Mitsubishi unveils a whole new performance car in order to meet their clients needs.
ReplyDeleteYour post has an interesting topic. It's upsetting that the car isn't being produced as frequently and not as many are being sold. I do however feel like this could be best for the company as I'm sure they could make a bigger profit selling a different vehicle. Also, since the Evo X is so cool looking, it will make it even more special when you see one on the road as I'm sure they aren't that popular of a car.
ReplyDelete