digital LSD-as far as obtaining the cars here, yes converting to comply with DOT and NHTSA is the most expensive part, but the issue is that someone usually holds the data for the crash tests like motorex did for the skylines. thats what made it so dam expensive to get one that you could actually drive on the road with out a dealer plate. you pay the value of the car + the transportation of the car + conversion. canadian border is pretty tough especially post 911. mexican border, dont really know too much about. but through out europe, with the exception of an island state like UK, you can cross no problems. and take ferry boats in and out without any real ordeal. Im just saying that due to the amount of cars that are sold through out europe to begin with that you would have a much easier time getting your hands on a car then you would here. and as far as LHD vs RHD, it doesnt really matter. you can drive a RHD vehicle here as long as it passes, smog and DOT standards. it might just suck at the drive through and paying tolls

 

Does any one know where we can get the Vortex Generator?

 

If people in the USA wanted to pay $80K for an Evo, I'm sure Mitsubishi would be happy to sell one to you.

 

I don't understand why people would want the FQ360 anyways. It's alot more $$$ than the base model yet they haven't done anything to the engine's internals.

All the $$$ spent seems to be about ricey carbon fiber stuff instead of a beefier engine, a bigger turbo, better suspension components and etc. I mean, that thing is 8K pounds more than the stock GST

8K pounds is around 16K USD - imagine what kinda turbo, engine internals, tuning, suspension you can get for that kinda money.

 

Right, I get what you're saying there with conversion and such. Motorex are a bunch of bastards, but I guess if it takes 2-3 cars and a lot of crash testing, there's some room for them to inflate their pricing.

Mexican Border (for transport of cars anyways (VW, Honda, and a few others have Plants down there)), is pretty easy to get cars across en mass. I am not entirely sure about Canadian borders as far as commercial traffic goes, but I would imagine it's not much different.

The point with LHD and RHD was (and correct me if I am wrong) the FQ is only RHD afaik, which makes it a UK exclusive (as EU goes anyways). I could be wrong, but only sites I ever see it on are .co.uk sites, never any .se or .no or .fi or anywhere else for that matter. I know we can drive them (RHD Vehicles) state-side, I have a buddy with a 2006 Honda Integra Type-R (RHD), it's teh bad *** over the RSX Type-S

Also as far as I know, with the number of sales across Europe, it's on par, or slightly less than the auto-sales in the US. This is predominantly due to the fact that EU has great public transportation systems in place. While the continent of Europe has a little over 700million people (a little over double the US) I do believe automobile sales there are close to 50% less than america. I could be wrong, but I have plenty of friends and family in Europe and the majority of them don't have cars. Usually 1 car per household only over there, and here I think the US averages 2 cars or more per household.

Noize had a comment about the dollar being worth crap right now. I think that plays a factor in this as well, but all in all our economy has been taking a dive for over 2 years now, so obviously there's cutbacks on everything. This includes our cars. I think there's several factors that effect the reason they got a "better version" of the Evo X, not just 1 or 2 end all be all answers. There was a time when it was only 1.5 USD to 1 GBP, but now it's more like 1.99 USD to 1GBP, this has a major effect on pricing, and "bang for buck".

Of course I could be speculating a bit too much since I can't find raw data on the internet to neither support nor go against my claims. I am just going by what I know as far as my friends and family go, I could very well be mistaken and just know a bunch of poor bastards

 

the fact that the US economy is in recession right now definatly does not help. Since the EU is much stronger, the conversion seems even more expensive based on the US dollar. With regard to vehicle plants, yes we and out bordering countries do have many, but the cars we are talking about come from over seas auto plants and are exported accordingly. I dont beleive that the manufacturers are going to dedicate seperate assembly lines or teams to make us a car based on what might sell in accordance to the economy. They may produce in specific numbers, but in the end it costs more to make a limited run for a specific market. Regardless of the economy they decide what we get and what we dont get.
Now i am not 100% sure, since I have never looked into the purchase of these specials models, but Ralliart is similar to Prodrive if I am not mistaken. It is a company or trademark the works with the manufacturer to make special model cars. Are they available through dealerships though the way an AMG Mercedes is? Either way it would make sense why they are only available overseas or RHD only because they coming from either japan or uk. Man I feel way off topic here lol. its good conversation though. and yes motorex were bastards. put out a ton of money to crash multiple versions of each model skyline imported, they sure did make up for it by charging 80k for a used r34.

 

I don't think we're off topic at all. I mean the point of the thread was "Why Europe is getting a better Evo" And that's what we're talking about

Well, as for the importation of the Evo, I actually thought that MMNA (Mitsubishi Motors North America) manufactured them here, in their Normal, Illinois plant, but according to wiki they only manufacture
3 models of vehicles there. So yeah, import costs are definitely playing a big role here too. That's their only plant in North America, Mitsu needs to spend a little cash, then maybe things would be cheaper for us, but more lucrative for them in the long run

Just to add, this is directly from the Edmunds FQ-360 review:

 

and your suprised by this? Since when has the us ever gotten a better model than what is available overseas

 

i know the evo is def manufactured in japan. not in the USA

 

they always did...

 

Just got a GSR with bolt ons and a tune and you will have more then an FQ-360.

 

I honestly think that various governments take a big tariff on cars sold and/or certain distributors are making a killing.

The other thing is that the US market is pretty large and there may be a volume discount of sorts, but mainly I think some body in each region is pocketing major bags of cash compared to the relatively free car trade in the US.

I'm in Australia right now and these guys over here about flipped their wig when I brought up the Pontiac website showing the new G8 Holden Commodore for 1/2 price of what they pay. That includes the cost of the boat ride these cars had to make to get to North America (not to mention the special line needed for left hand drive and new front clips/badging for Pontiac.

3 months ago I talked to a guy in Alberta, Canada while I was there and he was miffed that a base GSR he just bought cost $41k CAD while the one I just bought cost $31k. Only the rear bumper is different for Canadian models..so where did the $10k go? Our dollar is just about the same, but people are used to 5 years ago conversion factors and I think certain people are raking in the dough.

 

before comparing the car pricing from your country vs. the us - figure out how much of what your paying is due to tax. So basically, blame your country for taxing you - not the manufacturer.

I don't believe there's such a thing as volume discounts for the US, mitsu manufacturing costs are most likely the same (all made in Japan) for different regions (minor variances, especially the X). I'm sure Mitsubishi will gladly sell the car for in the EU for the same price as in the US, more cars sold == more money from service and parts. So the only differential is tax and tariffs.

 

And this is the reason why...

 

yes it is due to the taxes getting the car into the coutry, BUT you still get hammered on taxes out the door and in some places you pay an ANNUAL duty on the car based on the displacement of the motor. it really does suck