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Mitsubishi Evo videos and images compilation.. Awesome!!

One more awesome video with Ken Block.. on Top Gear this time:

Barely a week after announcing the Evolution X FQ-330 SST, which features the six-speed twin-clutch SST transmission and a horsepower bump over the previous FQ-300, Mitsubishi Cars UK has announced a new flagship for the Evolution X lineup. The £49,999 EVO X FQ-400 will be the fastest roadgoing version of the Evolution lineup.

Performance-flagship status is conferred by the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine under the hood, which is rated at 403bhp and 387 lb-ft of torque. The power boost comes courtesy of racing-spec high-flow fuel injectors, a new turbocharger and intercooler, and a three-inch exhaust. The ECU has been remapped to help keep the FQ-400 docile at commuting speeds. Mitsubishi reports a 3.8-second 0-62mph run, and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (249 km/h).

Mitsubishi’s rally-bred Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) gets the power to the road. Active stability control, center differential and yaw control are on hand to constantly monitor and enhance the EVO X FQ-400’s handling. The S-AWC system has three driver-selectable modes for a choice of three different road surfaces; tarmac, snow and gravel. The FQ-400 also has a widened track and the suspension is lowered 30mm. Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks are installed. The Alcon brakes are also modified, with floating sealed discs, lightened components and high-performance pads.

The FQ-400 is set apart from the rest of the lineup visually by its lightweight 18-inch nine-spoke wheels and Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Hood vents and a composite front bumper with extra lighting and HID headlamps give the FQ-400 the look of a roadgoing rally car. The side skirts are made of composite materials. The massive exhaust exits at the center of the rear bumper’s carbon fiber diffuser. The EVO’s trademark roof-mounted “Vortex Generator” and a rear wing that incorporates a gurney strip are also part of the visual package.

Inside, the FQ-400 sports Recaro seats, a carbon fiber shifter and a unique handbrake handle. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth phone connectivity, a 30-gig hard drive for the sound system, DVD satellite navigation and automatic headlamps.

The question of whether the rest of the world will get to experience the explosive performance of the FQ-400 has not yet been answered. We can only hope!

Source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090526.012/mitsubishi-lancer-evo-x-fq-400-unleashed-in-the-uk

In keeping with Mitsubishi’s FQ tradition abroad, the automaker has developed a new model to fit in between the standard FQ-300 and the insanity known as the FQ-400. The Mitsubishi Evolution FQ-330 (almost) lives up to its namesake by delivering an additional 29 hp (up from the standard Evo’s 300 hp) and an additional 22 lb-ft. of torque for a total of 322. The sprint to 60 mph drops accordingly, with 0.3 seconds shaved from the standard cars 4.7-second time. The minimal powertrain changes consist of a reworked intake, high-flow down-pipe, exhaust and catalytic converter and a re-mapped ECU to make use of the breathing mods. As it’s name would suggest, the FQ-330 is equipped with Mitsubishi’s new six-speed Twin-Clutch Sports Shift Transmission (TC-SST), and the whole packages only commands a £3,000 premium over the standard Evo, at £35,999. Jump for all the details.

PRESS RELEASE

MORE FQ- POWER ADDED TO TWIN-CLUTCH SPORTS SHIFT TRANSMISSION (SST)
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Sebastien Loeb went to Argentina and did some dancing that wasn’t the tango. The WRC champion performed a demonstration with his Citroen rally car that was reminiscent of gymkhana. Although it’s a little repetitive and nowhere near as mind-blowing as Ken Block’s gymkhana session, it is clear that Seb knows his way around the barriers and over the jumps.

Sorry, no date on this video, but what we do know is that it’s of French hillclimber Lionel Regal attacking the Course de Côte at Mont Ventoux in his Mugen-Honda-powered Reynard F3000 car. He’s obviously very comfortable behind the wheel, with championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 to show for it. It also occurs to us that Lionel Regal may well have been used to create the original casts for Truck Nutz. Follow the jump, watch, and you’ll understand, too. A brief word of caution: Googling his name will keep you in front of your screen watching videos for quite a while…

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/07/video-lionel-regal-provides-your-adrenaline-rush-of-the-day/

Participation in major auto shows is coming down like a house of cards for some automakers. The latest nail in the coffin: Mitsubishi is pulling out of the Frankfurt Motor Show. But that’s just the tip of the clichéd iceberg, as the Japanese automaker has revealed a new strategy towards participating in car shows.

From here on in, Mitsubishi will only attend one major auto show on any given continent each year. In Europe, Mitsu is already locked in Geneva, where it will unveil its cap-tastic new i Miev SPORT AIR concept. In North America, Mitsubishi already sat out the Detroit Auto Show and didn’t have much to show us in Chicago, so its new strategy will force it to choose between New York and Los Angeles, while across the Pacific it’s bound to stick to its home-turf at the Tokyo Motor Show. Between the new car show strategy and its withdrawal from Dakar, Mitsu should be saving some serious coin, however we can’t help but wonder what effect it will bear on its corporate image in the long term. But if things keep up the way they have been, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more cash-strapped automakers following Mitsubishi’s lead.
Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/12/mitsubishi-pulls-out-of-frankfurt-motor-show/

Just because Mitsubishi is pulling out of Dakar and throttling back on its motorsports campaigns doesn’t mean the automaker is going to limit the development and sales of its performance models. The Ralliart Sportback is on its way to the States, the Evolution X FQ400 is due to arrive at UK dealerships later this year and in addition to the Colt Ralliart Version R, Mitsubishi is planning another version of the hot hatch for our friends abroad.

The Colt Ralliart TWR Walkinshaw edition, which gets its name from touring car legend Tom Walkinshaw, will come equipped with a new suspension, lowered ride height and more aggressive body kit. The 147 hp, 1.5-liter engine will carry over, along with the close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox and pricing is expected to be set £2,000 over the stock £12,049 Colt Ralliart. Sales should begin sometime this April.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/06/mitsubishi-working-on-twr-walkinshaw-colt-ralliart/

When the average enthusiast thinks of Mitsubishi, the first thing that jumps to mind is likely the Evolution, but the Japanese automaker’s bread is buttered by the sales of large SUVs. This means that profits are pretty tough to come by these days as anything that guzzles gas has rapidly seen itself falling out of favor. In light of this fact, Mitsubishi now says that it has halted development of everything that isn’t eco-friendly. SUVs and large cars are out; electric cars, plug-in hybrids and small cars are in. What does this mean for future developments for the Evo platform? We don’t know, but it doesn’t sound promising.

According to CEO Osamu Masuko, the automaker can’t abandon its SUV roots entirely, so the future strategy will be two-fold: continue to offer larger cars like the Lancer and Galant and four-wheel drive SUVs in hybrid form, while focusing on fully electric machines on the smaller end. The first fruits of Mitsubishi’s new green plans may be production versions of the i MiEV electric car, but plug-in hybrid versions of its larger cars and SUVs are likely by 2013.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/mitsubishi-focuses-development-on-green-cars-plug-in-hybrid-c/