Banzai Mitsubishi Evo SUV on track

Mitsubishi's high-octane, rally-bred Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution  may be dead and buried, but a new breed of performance car is being readied in its wake.

Making use of advanced battery technology and high-output electric motors developed as part of its Pikes Peak EV race program, Mitsubishi's next high-performance Evolution model appears likely to be an SUV, but will still be faster than any Lancer Evo before it.

That's the word from Don Swearingen, Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Motors North America, who spoke to Australian journalists at the New York motor show about the company's future.

"You will most likely see a performance version of a CUV [crossover] in the future," Mitsubishi's US head honcho told motoring.com.au when queried about the company's plans for a go-fast halo model.

And the Evo name, will it live on?

"We haven’t made a decision on that," said Swearingen, who confirmed the plan is to develop an SUV that'll blow the doors of traditional V8s and other performance vehicles.

"The key is, if you see how battery performance has changed, off the line it's faster than the Evo [Lancer] itself," declared Swearingen.

"We've done some tests; we were up at Pikes Peak doing some races [in which] we took first and second last year with two electric vehicles, because our performance [development] continues."

The Mitsubishi exec wouldn't be drawn on when we'll see the company's high-riding, hi-po crossover -- which is understood to include a 'ludicrous' launch mode not unlike that used by Tesla EVs -- but it should be on sale by the end the decade.

"[We'll reveal a] new model vehicle each year between now and 2020," was his response to a query about the Evo SUV's release.

Mitsubishi has an intense focus on SUVs, with only one passenger car left in its range – the Mirage city-car – and the company has made no secret of its desire for EV hero.

Twelve months ago Mitsubishi's global president, Tetsuro Aikawa, indicated his desire for a go-fast crossover or SUV and, like Tesla's Model S and upcoming Model X, an all-electric or plug-in hybrid Evo SUV would have instant all-wheel drive acceleration.

The increased performance and acceptable driving range will be made possible via improved battery tech, said Swearingen.

"You're going to see that with [drivetrain] improvements because it will be [paired with] the next-level battery technology for us."

The Japanese company plans expand and reorganise its SUV line-up, all of which appears likely to offer plug-in capability, but it's still not clear which future SUV will form the basis of Mitsubishi's next-generation Evo.

Aikawa-san told us at last year's Tokyo show that the company's next new SUV will be an all-new compact crossover by March 2017. Previewed by the eX concept (pictured here in yellow), it will be based on the Outlander and positioned between the ASX and Outlander.

Following that within two years will be replacements for the current ASX and Outlander. The new ASX was previewed by a series of XR-PHEV concepts (2013 version pictured here in red) and will be on sale by the end of the 2019 Japanese fiscal year.

Swearingen said the new ASX will be smaller than the current model, while the next-generation Outlander will grow in size to accommodate the all-new SUV in between.

A larger Outlander seven-seater would also fill the void vacated by the full-size Pajero, for which there is unlikely to be a replacement.

"Our strategy, we announced to dealers two weeks ago, will take the Outlander and it will move up a little, both in length and width. The Outlander Sport [ASX], our number one seller in the US, we are going to actually take that down a little in size.

"Then we're going to come in the middle with a new CUV," he stated.

What do you think of Mitsubishi's SUV focus, and its plan to produce a crazy high-performance crossover, potentially badged as an Evo?

Will it help shine a light on the rest of its burgeoning SUV range and bring some high-octane excitement back to the brand, or will it dilute the Evo brand? Have your say in the comments below.