Sunday, February 04, 2007

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer - Specifications-only Review and Launch Videos

Other posts about the new 2008 Lancer:

Lancer 2.0GT (Malaysia) - First Looks

Lancer 2.0GT (ie. GTS) launched in Malaysia

Update 5th May 2007: Press Release photos of Evo X and JDM (Japan Domestic Market) names for the 2008 Lancer (text of press release in comments below).



Original blogpost>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer (pictures below) and Lancer Evolution Prototype X (left) was launched at the Detroit Motorshow on 8 January 2007.

I've got some videos below... of the launch, the promo video and walkabout tour of both cars by Mitsu's North American GM.

But first, I've got my hands on the detailed specs list of the North American 2008 Lancer. And since it is a global platform, it should be virtually identical to the next generation Lancer worldwide. So here's my specifications only review.

I actually like how it looks. A bold move that departs entirely from the styling cues of the whole Mitsubishi lineup. That is not a bad thing at all, considering how fugly the current Lancers are and how much the Colt looks like an aerodynamic piece of turd.

I really like the Lancer's nose job. It's reminiscent of the current Volvo, but it's as if Mitsu completed the job that Volvo didn't have the balls to finish. And I like that it resembles the Nissan Skyline R34's nose-in front of-headlamps styling. Since I reckon Nissan has lost the plot completely when it comes to the new GTR's upside-down ricebowl Z styling, I am delighted that the R34's spirit lives on in the Lancer.

I like the rear too, but not as much as the front though. The resemblance to the Alfa 156 is too strong for me to put aside. Too bad they didn't put the R34's dual round tail-lights on it ;p

Anyway, enough about the asthetics. Let's get on with the physics.


The first thing you notice is that the power output is not remarkable. Even with MIVEC variable valve lift & timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts, the 4B11 (developed in conjunction with Hyundai and Daimler Chrysler but with Mitsu-specific camshafts and cylinder head for the Lancer) only develops a pedestrian 152hp.

That's not bad, mind you... considering that the new Honda Civic K20Z, Alfa 156 2.0TS and BMW 320i produce roughly the same 150-160hp. The new Camry 2.0G and Nissan Cefiro 2.0 outputs slightly less at 140+hp. So, it's respectable, but it's not spectacular by any standards.

Then you'd notice the 4B11 engine has a 86mm bore and 86mm stroke. The legendary 4G63 which served 9 generations of Lancer Evos as well as several generations of Galant VR4 rally cars - was under-square with a bore of 85mm and 88mm stroke. Why the perfectly square 4B11 after decades of rally-tested under-square 4G63?

In my opinion, the answer lies in a small tuning workshop in the heart of Kepong, Malaysia - called Forge Racing (formerly KCK Racing). It is the birthplace of the first street legal Mivec turbo engine... ever. In 2000, several years before Mitsubishi rolled out its first Mivec turbo in the Evo VIII - Forge Racing crossbred the block of a 1.8 litre 4G93 turbo and the cylinder head of a 1.6 litre 4G92 Mivec. That resulting 1.8 engine output over 300hp at 8000rpm with a boost of only 1.5bar. But what was the main lesson learnt from that little pocket rocket?

It was that if the overarching limitation on any turbo engine is [small] displacement... then more turbo boost is NOT the answer. It rapidly gets to a stage where there's too much mechanical stress, too much heat and petrol from a regular gas-station produces problems rather than power. The answer was more revs! Don't overdo the boost. Keep it sane, keep it steady and turn up the revs. The power will follow.

Squaring the engine by enlarging the bore and shortening the stroke usually means one thing... more revs. So... if Mitsu wanted more revs, then why the peak power at a lowly 6000rpm still, and low-ish compression of 10.01 from the 4B11?... My speculation... headroom.

My thinking is that Mitsubishi had basically extracted all it could from the 4G63 by playing all the turbo tweaking cards available to it. At roughly 300hp, there wasn't very much more they could do with the 2 litre warhorse without making it too uneconomical to manufacture/ warranty and too unstreetable with turbo lag, fuel consumption and inconvenient emissions. Ralliart UK's FQ320 was possibly the limit of streetability. The FQ400 was best left for the track and Sunday drives. Subaru's STi has traditionally mirrored the Evo's evolution (pun intended), and it is very telling that even they have recently migrated the STi from 2 litres to 2.5 litres.

I reckon Mitsubishi figured they needed a new high rev engine that provides room to increase power, but without the attendant downsides of excessive boost pressures and big turbines. So, in walks a perfectly square engine. The 152hp in the everyday Lancer might be just be the tip of the 4B11's proverbial horsepower iceberg. And 152hp is a very, very comfortable minimum to start from. The 4B11 turbo in the upcoming 2007 Lancer Evolution X is rumoured to have 300+hp straight out of the factory... and we'll soon see if Mitsu agrees that raising the revs is the best way to get there (since they aren't increasing the displacement).

I also strongly believe that Mitsubishi realises that it has been missing out on a lucrative mid-range performance market niche ie. the 180-250hp hot compact segment. Since the last 200hp Lancer GSR rolled off the production lines in the mid 90's, Mitsubishi has not had an answer to the Subaru WRX, VW Golf GTi, Ford Focus RS, Civic and Integra Type R, Mazda 6 MPS etc. A new baby Lancer Evo would be timely... and simple to achieve with the 4B11.

If it stays NA, raising the peak power to 7000rpm (along with 11+ compression and more aggressive cam profiles) would easily fetch an extra 30-40hp. Or bolt on a turbine, give it 0.7bar of boost and I reckon it'd easily yield 200+hp. Turbo it and raise the revs to 7500-8000rpm with a little more boost... and we'd probably be looking at the new Evo X itself.


The gearbox looks ok. Nothing special except that it utilises a CVT, which is fairly uncommon for cars of this capacity and power. CVTs are very efficient (judging from the CVT's better city mileage of 22mpg vs the 5MT's 21mpg), but they don't handle large amounts of power and torque very well. The 2006 Honda Civic 2.0 uses a torque converter (with lockup in EVERY gear) rather than a CVT, which the far less powerful 1.5 litre Honda City uses to good effect.

A couple of reviews mention that the new Lancer's CVT is 'rough' and 'uncivilised'. Maybe that's the price you pay, for a CVT to handle more power and torque. But I don't really care though... the Evo X will feature a 6 speed manual gearbox with automated clutch, and sequential paddle shift. No flaky CVT for the Evo.


The promos make a big deal about the new Lancer's 2.3 inches more track width. At the same time, it is slightly shorter than the current Lancer. But what is worth mentioning is that the new Lancer shares the same chassis as the Outlander SUV... which has more body stiffness (torsional and bending rigidity) than the current Evolution. This means this new basic Lancer is stronger and stiffer than even the current WRC homologated Evo IX. Surely, this yields significant dividends in the handling dept, no?

On the downside though, the new Lancer is much heavier. With a range of 1325-1410kgs, it is a full ~100kgs more than the equivalent 1.6-1.8L class of cars like the Civic, Sentra, previous Lancer, Corolla Altis etc. Though it is still ~100kgs shy of the 2.0-2.5L class like the Camry, Accord, Cefiro, Galant etc, it is definitely a porker by any reckoning.


Now, some very, very big hints about the limits of the new Lancer's performance envelope. I am a firm believer in the principle of big stock brakes <=> big performance or at the very least, big potential.

The GTS model's brakes are taken directly from the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV. What's the big deal about that, you ask? Well, the Outlander is a 3.0L, 220hp, 1700kg SUV. You'll need some pretty subtantial brakes to stop something that heavy, by my estimation at top speeds of nearly 180kmh. It's like taking the anchor from a battleship and chaining it to Datuk Azhar's sailboat.

So yeah, those are very big brakes indeed. The GTS comes standard with twin pot calipers with 294mm ventilated rotors up front and
single pot calipers with 302mm! solid rotors at the back. The DE and ES get 276mm ventilated rotors up front. It is not clear to me yet, if they will have twin pot front calipers, like the GTS.

Just in case you're not too sure just how big these brakes are... the old 240hp Galant VR4 and 260hp Lancer Evo 3 also had twin pot calipers but only 276mm front rotors. Same as the base model new Lancer DE and ES. The 270hp Evo 4 too, had twin pot calipers and ~290mm front rotors. Same as the new Lancer GTS. Rear rotors were similarly single pot and more or less the same size as the new GTS'.

Question is, why would a 152hp basic saloon want larger brakes than those on the VR4 and Evo 3??? Why would a nippy saloon car require the same brakes as a SUV weighing 30% more???

And the stabilizer bars (21mm/20mm)... they are nearly the same size as those on the 1700kg Outlander SUV (22mm/20mm). Damn!

More performance headroom...? Your guess is as good as mine. But based on the new 4B11 Mivec engine, Evo IX-beating chassis and SUV / VR4 / Evo3-4 brakes.... all I can say is I'm getting a very tingly feeling up my spine, about this new Lancer. I think it's going to be spectacular!


One last bit. Assuming a coefficient of drag = 0.33, I ran the specs through my desktop dyno program and the above are the results. Not too shabby... 8.6 seconds century sprint (which is close enough to Mitsu's claim of ~8s) and a top speed of 206kmh. The big letdown was the weight. If I shave a 100kg off, the century sprint is 8.2s with a top speed of 210kmh... which is much more consistent with the Civic 2.0's performance.

Oh yeah, enjoy the videos too:

Footage of the Launch and Promo Video at the Detroit Motorshow.

Walkabout of the 2008 Lancer

Walkabout of the Lancer Prototype X



6 comments:

sean-the-man said...

The San Diego Union-Tribune
AUTOWEEK
February 3, 2007

Mitsubishi pins hope on revamped Lancer

SANTA BARBARA – When the redesigned Mitsubishi Lancer goes on sale this spring, it will mark the first time the struggling carmaker will launch a redesigned version of the car in the United States before it goes on sale in Japan.

Mitsubishi badly needs the Lancer to be a hit in this country. Dealers sold only 23,167 Lancers in 2006, down 16.8 percent from the previous year.

“The Lancer is going on sale first in the United States because the market is bigger,” says Hiroshi Harunari, chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors North America.

The basics: The 2008 Lancer is the ninth generation of the car. The aim is to bring a moderately priced small car to the United States that is roomy, comfortable, safe, good-looking, sporty and quick.

The vehicle is based on itsubishi's new C platform and its next-generation Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution design, which uses high-strength steel not utilized in the current model. The RISE design allows for better sport suspension tuning. Torsional rigidity exceeds that of the Lancer Evolution IX sports car.

The redesigned Lancer comes in three trim lines: the DE, EX and the sport-tuned GTS. It will be the first Mitsubishi sold in the United States with a continuously variable transmission, available as an option on all three trim lines.

Compared with the current model, the 2008 Lancer has a longer wheelbase and wider track but is slightly shorter. The new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, teamed with a five-speed manual transmission, makes 152 horsepower, up significantly from 120 hp produced by the current inline-four.

The new engine is 591/2 pounds lighter. A rear-mounted exhaust manifold replaces the front-mounted manifold, permitting more precise and quicker steering response.

The redesigned front suspension makes for a smoother ride over rough roads.

Notable features:

Sixteen-inch wheels are standard, up from 15-inch wheels. The GTS rides on 18-inch wheels.

There are seven standard air bags, including side-curtain bags. For the first time, a standard driver's knee air bag is included. Anti-lock brakes are standard on the ES and GTS models and available on the base DE. The GTS is equipped with the same front and rear brakes as the larger Outlander SUV.

The GTS will have an exclusive sport-tuned suspension. When equipped with the optional continuously variable transmission, the GTS features a six-step shift mode with magnesium paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

The optional hard-disc drive navigation system, available on the GTS, can hold up to 1,200 songs. Sirius satellite radio, available on the ES and GTS models, comes with a six-month subscription.

What Mitsubishi says:

“The C segment is no longer just an econobox,” says Bryan Arnett, product strategy manager for the Lancer and Outlander SUV. “This is a more premium feeling and upscale vehicle.”

Shortcomings and compromises: Because of budget constraints, Mitsubishi could not introduce the planned 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a smaller-displacement engine. But Arnett says they are looking at a bigger-displacement four-cylinder engine in the future.

The market: The Lancer is in a crowded field that includes the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Cobalt.

Arnett expects the midlevel ES to be the best-selling version. He believes the GTS will attract conquest buyers.

The skinny: The redesigned car is much better. And with an estimated base price of $14,000, the 2008 Lancer will be more than $1,000 less than the current model.

Mitsubishi dealers say the company has given them an excellent product but now needs to market the Lancer better.

sean-the-man said...

DETROIT PREVIEW:

New Mitsubishi Lancer has CVT option

11 December 2006 | Source: just-auto.com editorial team

Mitsubishi Motors North America will launch the new Lancer line at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

The new compact sport sedan reaches US Mitsubishi dealerships in early 2007 and goes on sale in Europe - with a much wider choice of engines - in the fourth quarter.

Designers said the "shark-nosed" front end was inspired by jet fighter air intakes.

The 2008 Lancer is based on the same global platform used for the latest Outlander SUV. The body is larger than the current model, with an overall length of 4,570mm (+35mm), width of 1,760 mm (+65mm), height of 1,490 mm (+60mm) and wheelbase of 2,635 mm (+35mm).

The design uses elements from the Concept-X shown at the 2005 Tokyo motor show.

All US Lancer models will have a new ‘global’ two-litre 152 hp aluminium DOHC MIVEC four-cylinder engine (143 hp PZEV in California and eastern states specifying the same emission standard) coupled to a five-speed manual transmission.

The new Lancer will also be the first Mitsubishi in North America to offer an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). When so equipped, the GTS version has a six-step ‘Sportronic’ mode using magnesium steering wheel paddle shifters.

The US models will be available in three levels of trim: DE, ES and the sport-tuned GTS.

“With its sharp handling and 35 year Lancer sporting credentials, it will be in Europe a new alternative for customers of desirable, heritage-proud, non-mainstream brands in the C-segment: not premium, but different and legitimate,” Mitsubishi’s European unit said.

The European line will offer four powertrain levels (entry, mid-range, upper-range and supercar) with five different engines, including the VAG-supplied 140ps two litre diesel already fitted to the Grandis Di-D and Outlander Di-D.

sean-the-man said...

Mitsubishi Pins Hopes on New Compacts
07.01.2006 By Chuck Giametta

Mitsubishi is taking a wait and "C" approach toward its future in the United States.

"C" is code for the new family of "compact" cars and SUVs upon which the sales-challenged, scandal-racked automaker is pinning a great deal of hope.

The 2007 Outlander is the first in a line of Mitsubishi vehicles derived from the new "C" platform.
Mitsubishi's first C-segment model hits showrooms in November as the redesigned 2007 Outlander compact SUV. It will be followed in early 2007 by the redesigned 2008 Lancer, a compact car that will share Outlander's basic underskin structure.

These vehicles represent a retrenching of Mitsubishi in the United States, a return to the smaller, affordable offerings the automaker sees as its strength.

Mitsubishi, however, is testy to the notion that its future in America hinges solely on the success of these new models. When its product development director was quoted in an industry publication saying as much, the chief of Mitsubishi Motors North America himself issued a stern rebuttal, claiming the remarks were misinterpreted and pledging the company has no plans to exit the U.S.

Still, much of Mitsubishi's American-market plan beyond these C models is sketchy. No Montero full-size SUV replacement is likely, and no redesigned Endeavor midsize SUV or Galant midsize sedan is probable before 2010.

"C-segment is the first priority for us," acknowledged Shinichi Kurihara, corporate general manager--product strategy office, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. "Then we have to study what kind of (other) car we might bring into the U.S."

Nonetheless, it doesn't take a hardened skeptic to question whether Mitsubishi will be in the U.S. to welcome anything beyond the C-segment. With U.S. sales down more than 12 percent in the first five months of 2006, and calendar-2005 sales their lowest in almost 20 years, the prognosis is not cheerful.

High Hopes

Mitsubishi, naturally, is optimistic.

Hiroshi Harunari, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America and the man who issued the rebuttal, followed up with an enthusiastic letter to Mitsubishi's 545 U.S. dealers. "We have very high hopes that Outlander will be a tremendous success here as it has been in Japan," the letter said. "We wish to be clear that the continuation of our business is not directly tied to the sales success of the Outlander."

The Many Faces of Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi's many companies include the beverage company Kirin (top), Nikon camera (middle), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which developed the engines that powered Japan's H-IIA rocket (bottom).
In informal remarks to Consumer Guide(r) during the 2006 New York Auto Show, Harunari was similarly confident, and said he estimated Mitsubishi's U.S. turnaround would take five years.

The company has its work cut out if it is to reverse what has been a dramatic deflation of its fortunes.

Mitsubishi is one of Asia's economic giants and is actually a broad entity of independent companies and hundreds of subsidiaries.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is the umbrella under which functions Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and its Mitsubishi Motors North America branch. In a remarkable show of diversification, operations under the Mitsubishi banner also include shipping, electronics, banking, plastics, paper mills, real estate, and oil refining. It extends to the manufacturing of space rockets and jet aircraft, and its holdings stretch to Kirin-brand beer and the camera and optics icon, Nikon Corporation.

It's big enterprise that makes big news. Unfortunately, not all the headlines over the past few years have been happy ones.

A Troubled Past

In the late 1990s, some of Mitsubishi's Japanese auto executives were charged with covering up the recall of defective products. Prosecutors accused others of payoffs to criminal racketeers. In 2004, seven former Mitsubishi executives were arrested in Japan and charged with falsifying reports about a fault that caused a fatal accident. Reacting to the scandals and mounting losses, the parent company in 2005 forced the resignation of Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s president, chairman, and vice chairman.

Blemishes to Mitsubishi's prestige in the U.S. were less widespread, but just as damaging: The company's reputation arguably still has not recovered fully from the scandal over the systematic sexual harassment of women at its Illinois assembly plant.

More recently, the U.S. operation lost a huge safety net as Mitsubishi's relationship with DaimlerChrysler collapsed. Mitsubishi's product partnership with Chrysler Corp. dated from the 1970s; the Illinois plant opened in the 1980s was a joint venture. By the early 2000s, DaimlerChrysler was looking to its Japanese affiliate to lead its expansion into China.

In spring 2004, however, DaimlerChrysler declined its troubled partner's pleas for financial aid. The rift became a separation in November 2005 when DaimlerChrysler, whose stake in Mitsubishi Motors Corp. was once as high as 37 percent, divested itself of its shares in the automaker.

History
Mitsubishi's U.S. milestones.

Compounding the damage to Mitsubishi's bottom line, DaimlerChrysler retained control of the profitable Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corp. A shadow of the Mitsubishi-DaimlerChrysler relationship survives in a few joint projects.

0-0-0 Spells Trouble

Mitsubishi began selling cars in the U.S. under its own name in 1981. It enjoyed its strongest sales here during the early 2000s, moving more than 300,000 cars, SUVs and pickups out of showrooms three years running. That picture of health was illusory, however.
A good portion of the sales was low-profit fleet traffic with rental-car companies and the like. That led to an oversupply of used Mitsubishis, which drove down the price of new models.

Even more damaging was the company's bold "0-0-0" financing program. This plan, which ended after 2002, allowed new-car purchases with nothing down, no interest, and no payments for a year or more. That attracted thousands of buyers who otherwise could not afford a new car, and it left Mitsubishi holding the bag when they defaulted on payments. It also made it more difficult to slide returning customers into new models because they often owed more on their used Mitsubishi than it was worth in trade. Today, Mitsubishi tops all brands in the percentage of owners who have so-called negative equity, according to the Power Information Network.

The Mitsubishi brand is not doing so well in customer-satisfaction ratings, either. In the 2006 edition of the industry's most-important customer survey, the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, Mitsubishi placed twenty-third out of 37 brands ranked.

The product lineup itself is less than rock-solid. The only entry with a year-to-date sales increase is the Eclipse, a relatively new model still surfing the crest of the notoriously fickle sporty-car segment.

In March, Mitsubishi suffered the embarrassment of having to ask the Chrysler Group to stop production of the Raider pickup, a reskinned Dodge Dakota that failed to gain a sales toehold after seven months on the market, despite support from expensive Super Bowl commercials.
Mitsubishi sales chart

Overall, Mitsubishi sales in the first five months of 2006 are off 12.3 percent from the year-earlier period. That's on top of a sobering 23.3 percent calendar-year drop, 2004 to 2005. Its Illinois plant is down to a single shift and on pace to build 90,000 vehicles this year, down from a high of 200,000 in 2002.

"C" Also Stands for Challenge

It's this malaise the new C-segment Outlander and Lancer are being counted on to help cure.

The '07 Outlander is larger and more handsome than the 2003-2006 version. It boasts a standard V6 engine, which the current model doesn't offer, and it includes such features as a 6-speed automatic transmission with steering column paddle shift, plus seven-passenger capacity via a small 3rd-row seat sized for children.

However, the Outlander could cannibalize sales from Mitsubishi's midsize Endeavor SUV, which isn't usefully larger or more powerful, and seats only five. And with gas prices an issue, some compact-SUV shoppers could bypass the new Outlander precisely because it doesn't offer a 4-cyl engine.

Like the coming Outlander, the 2008 Lancer also faces some hurdles. As does the current version, the next-generation Lancer will include Evolution high-performance editions. But the popularity of these low-volume variants among the fast-and-furious crowd has never been enough to lift the Lancer nameplate out of the compact-car swarm.

For its part, Mitsubishi says the goal of the C-strategy is not so much blockbuster sales, but to refocus the product line on the kinds of vehicles the company does best.

"We have a strong history in smaller performance models, and these play off that heritage," said Jun Asami, Mitsubishi Motors North America vice president of marketing.

Just cutting through the clutter to get the new models noticed will be a challenge, given Mitsubishi's thin marketing presence. Its spending on TV advertising fell 31.9 percent in 2005, for example.

"Are we going to saturate the national airwaves? No, that is for GM or Toyota," Asami said. "Our media strategy this year is more rifle than shotgun," he added, and will take careful aim at target buyers.

The Home Office Flexes its Muscles

If Mitsubishi is to return to robust health in America, it will need assistance from its immense Japanese network. There are signs it's getting it.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has teamed with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi to tighten the parent organization's grip on its floundering automotive operation. They installed new leadership (the chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is also now the chairman of Mitsubishi Motors Corp) and invested $2.6 billion in a revitalization plan.

Japan's first mass-produced car was Mitsubishi's 1917 Model-A. In 1949, it used spare WWII airplane parts to build the Silver Pigeon scooter in Japan.

Mitsubishi Motors North America is launching an advertising and marketing campaign to celebrate its 25th year in the U.S. The push is accompanied by new advertising, renewed dealer support, and special trim editions of some of its cars. The campaign's theme is "The next 25 years begins today."

Any corporate resurgence depends to some degree on intangibles, and for Mitsubishi, one intangible may be a renewed sense of independence.

Sources within the company, who would not speak for attribution, say many of Mitsubishi's Japanese executives, engineers, designers, and others feel once again in charge of their own destiny after years of sharing products with Chrysler--and especially after enduring an uneasy working relationship with the German bosses who came with the DaimlerChrysler merger.

Mitsubishi has a proud motor vehicle heritage. It created Japan's first mass produced passenger car in 1917, and its Silver Pigeon scooters put Japan back on wheels after World War II. Its cars are perhaps the most visible public symbol of its corporate identity, carrying the three-diamond logo to all corners of the globe.

Would such a cultural and economic powerhouse deny itself a presence in America, the world's top car market?

"It would be difficult to characterize the corporate pride," Asami said, "but we can assure you that the employees are enormously dedicated and working hard to secure success."

sean-the-man said...

Mitsubishi Motors announces The names of two models due for Japan domestic market release this fall
http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/corporate/detail1621.html

—"GALANT FORTIS" sedan & "LANCER EVOLUTION X" high-performance 4WD sedan—

GALANT FORTIS (Exterior Study Model)

LANCER EVOLUTION X (Exterior Study Model)

Tokyo, 26 April, 2007 — Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has announced the names of two new models. The U.S.-market Lancer will be renamed "GALANT FORTIS" for the Japan domestic market. Also, Mitsubishi's rally-inspired, high-performance 4WD sedan will carry the name "LANCER EVOLUTION X".

The development concept for the new Galant Fortis1 calls for a "new-generation global sedan with world-class levels of safety, environmental performance and comfort". Distinguishing features include: a high-rigidity platform that delivers excellent crashworthiness; a new 2-liter engine with aluminum cylinder block that delivers high power output and returns excellent fuel efficiency; exterior styling that imparts a broad stance and sporty lines; and a spacious, well-appointed cabin.

The development concept for the all-new Lancer Evolution X2 specifies a "new-generation high-performance 4WD global sedan that allows all levels of driver to enjoy the car's speed and handling with ease and in safety". The new model features Mitsubishi's S-AWC3 traction and handling system, that integrates the control of drive torque and braking management with the four-wheel drive system to help realize highly responsive and intuitive handling in addition to outstanding vehicle attitude stability. Other examples of Mitsubishi Motors' latest automotive technology to be featured in the new model include a new lightweight and high-performance 2.0-liter turbocharged MIVEC4 engine with aluminum cylinder block and a 6-speed automated manual transmission that contributes to exceptional performance with improved fuel economy. The performance-driven design makes the car's extreme potential clear, while cockpit design focuses the driver's attention on operating his machine.

1 Latin for strong, steadfast, courageous.
2 "X" ("Ten") stands for the tenth iteration of the Lancer Evolution released on the Japan domestic market. (In other markets the car will be called "LANCER EVOLUTION".)
3 Super All Wheel Control
4 Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control System: Mitsubishi Motors variable valve system

Anonymous said...

The K20Z makes 197 hp.
not 150-160.

sean-the-man said...

Anonymous

The K20 in Type Rs makes 197hp (JDM makes over 220hp). But when it's in the Civic 2.0s, it makes 150+hp.

The 4B11 in the Lancer makes 156hp, but in the Evo X, it makes 280hp.

It's all up to which model the engine's in and its state of tune.