I thought I remembered reading a while ago that the Evo "9.5", i.e. the late model 2006s including the SE and the MR "SE", really should have been a 2007 model year car. But Mitsubishi didn't want to have to comply with some new safety regulation (airbags? traction control?) so they just kept producing them as 2006s.

Am I crazy? Does anyone have a source that supports this or did I make it up?

 

Never heard that before.....but maybe?

 

only heard evo 8.5 before and that's the 2005's with the ACD in the US

 

it's not a 9.5, just a 2007 9. I thought it was for an airbag safety ruling, though maybe it could have been a traction control thing too.

makes you wonder why they didn't do the same with the '15 evos so they could keep their recaros

 

FWIW, if you look at the bottom of SE seats there is actually a little sticker on it that says Evo 9.5 somewhere. Noticed this when I took mine out for Sparcos.

 

no idea. in Japan i believe it's just an 07 with no .5 moniker

 

Sorry, I was not suggesting it was an official marker, just a quasi official marker (since there's a sticker on the bottom of the seat).

There are other cars where it seems totally unofficial: 2008.5 Mazdaspeed 3, 1998.5 E36 M3, etc.

 

I believe it is by some manufacturers "rule" by manufacturing date which pushes production to .5 yrs or the next model year. There are regulations which dictate such.
For example, vehicles need to be certified to be sold in various countries, a bunch of legal BS.