Mitsubishi courts Ralliart halo but no TMR380

Mitsubishi Australia's own go-fast arm is 'on' again despite the death knell being sounded for the TMR380 concept hottie. The confirmation came from Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd (MMAL) boss, Rob McEniry, at today's launch of the latest 380 model, the 380 Series III.

Details of the revised 380 range are embargoed until next week. Not so the news from McEniry that despite the fact the much-publicised supercharged TMR380 would not go ahead, the maker was hoping to confirm its own Ralliart-branded performance car operation Down Under as early as March 2008.

McEniry told the Carsales Network a Ralliart arm of MMAL would develop bespoke local versions of existing models as well as help market models like the Lancer Ralliart and EVO X. He confirmed Outlander and Triton as key targets for Ralliart enhancement, both via the local operation and Mitsubishi's international operations.

The 380 potential could come in for enhancements but not to the degree of the stillborn TMR380. The product of a development program undertaken by MMAL and its TMR raceteam operation under Alan Heaphy, the TMR380 first appeared at the Sydney International Motor Show last year. Intended to join the 380 line-up as a performance flagship, the program will now not go ahead -- as an official MMAL model at least.

According to McEniry, the pricing of the model would have approached $60,000 by the time it hit dealer floors. That pricetag and the proximity to the car's launch to the impending arrival of the all-new all-wheel drive Lancer EVO X effectively signed the TMR-badged front-wheel drive sedan's death warrant.

McEniry did suggest Heaphy's TMR operation was in a position to build the hot 380 on a short run basis. He said that even though it was not an official MMAL model he would be "parking a black one in his garage".

Ironically, the pending arrival of the EVO X and the now-confirmed Ralliart badged lower-spec turbo Lancer that will follow it (more soon) has brought the famous rally and offroad competition brand back into sharp focus for MMAL.

McEniry said as a corporation Mitsubishi had not made the most of the Ralliart brand.

"The Ralliart name or brand is under-leveraged and it really sets itself up to expand the opportunity [across the Mitsubishi range]," McEniry said.

"My personal target was to have [details for the local operation] resolved by the Sydney motor show this year, but I don't think that's realistic. I'm going to Japan to have some of those [related] discussions in the next two weeks... It's still bubbling along, in its embryonic stages, but we will be in a position to announce definitely by Melbourne [motor show, March 2008]," the Mitsu boss said.

McEniry would not confirm who MMAL would partner with in the operation. He said that discussions with both Prodrive and the Walkinshaw organisation would be logical, though stopped short of confirming actual discussions were underway.

He did say, however, that Alan Heaphy would "play an important role in our strategies going forward."

McEniry denied suggestions MMAL was playing a 'wait and see' game with regard to Toyota Racing Development's impending launch of its high-performance models.

"I don't have to wait and see what Toyota does," McEniry said. "I think I know from my own experience and intuitively, the importance of halo cars in the range."

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