Global boss gives performance enthusiasts a faint glimmer of hope

Mitsubishi says it will eventually return to the performance arena with a follow-up to its iconic Lancer Evolution – but the agonising wait could span a further six years.

Speaking with media this week while visiting local operations, Mitsubishi’s global boss Trevor Mann said a new performance flagship was one of many considerations on the table for the Japanese brand.

“In terms of the brand, I think it would be interesting to bring something back that’s a bit more sporty in the future,” he said. “You’ll have to wait and see what that is.”

Mann said the performance concept wasn’t necessarily going to be based on another sedan. In a statement which supported previous Mitsubishi rhetoric, Mann implied the performance follow-up could possibly come in the form of an Evolution SUV.

“I would say [a new performance model] it is long-term rather than mid-term,” Mann said, clarifying mid-term as three years and long term as six years.

“It will be between three years and six years.”

Meanwhile, it seems the verdict is still out on whether Mitsubishi will return to motorsport in an official capacity. Having run at the top of the charts in the World Rally Championship and Rally-Raids in years gone by, Mann said the manufacturer was currently evaluating all options.

On a local scale, it is understood Mitsubishi has been approached by the Australian Supercars Championship to run in the new SuperUtes category.

“Motorsport is something that we’ve talked about a lot recently, and because of our heritage it’s something that we’ve got to consider,” Mann said.

“It goes with the brand and it’s something that we’ve got the technology in and our engineers know what to do. It’s something we need to consider again.”

In addition, Mann revealed Mitsubishi wanted a ‘halo car’ in its line-up, before identifying the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport as the brand’s current pseudo halo car.

“I think it’s a longer term opportunity than a problem,” Mann said of a halo car.

“I think some brands have created halos in cars that aren’t high performance, take the Volkswagen Golf for example. In Europe it was an aspirational vehicle for a lot of people.

“You’ve got to decide what is going to be the halo vehicle for us and how we want to do that.”