2018 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI (render)
The hot hatch game is more competitive
now than it has ever been before. Every week it seems that an automaker
announces a faster, lighter hatchback designed to snap necks and smash track
records. Now would be the perfect time for Mitsubishi to teach everyone else
how to create an affordable and fast sports car.
While the Japanese manufacturer hasn't
had a hot hatch per se, the Lancer Evolution at its greatest could walk all
over more expensive European hatches and sedans for less money. But after the
Evo reached its 10th generation, Mitsubishi decided to scrap it in order to
focus on more environmentally friendly cars, leaving the Subaru WRX STI as
Japan's sole entrant into this fiercely competitive market.
The refreshed Lancer was unveiled late
last year bringing with it an updated design and the notable lack of an Evo
derivative. Well thanks to Enoch Gabriel Gonzales from the Philippines, we have
an idea of what an 11th generation Evo could look like, if Mitsubishi ever
decides to bring it back from the dead (unlikely).
Enoch has based his Evo around the
next-gen Lancer which could arrive in 2018. His 2018 Lancer in standard guise
looks quite aggressive thanks to its sharp edges and Alfa Romeo Giulia-style
rear end and when adorned with the characteristic design elements of an Evo, it
looks like the real deal.
The front is characterized by a gaping
wide honeycomb-patterned grille and includes a set of fog lights within the
lower air intakes. Slats are then found in the bonnet while a set of sporting
wheels and Brembo brake calipers tell you that the car means business. At the
rear is a towering wing, a bold diffuser and a set of large twin tailpipes.
While we'll never see Enoch's creation
come to life, it does make us yearn for a new Evo just a little bit more.
