Thanks for sharing...it's like watching a rerun year after year...Once the Evo stops being lucrative...bye bye Mitsu...really disappionted as an Evo/ Mitsu loyalist to see them not progress their auto line as other competition...If it wasn't for the Evo, I wouldn't care for Mitsu at all...

 

I stopped by South Coast Mitsu yesterday after I was done photographing the Lambo show around the corner. The new head unit doesn't look half bad in person. And the R Fosgate one has a neat aluminum-look strip across the top of the head unit plastic trim. I also think the new setup will allow for easier replacement to an aftermarket system as well.

 

I assume that you mean that you, personally, will give up on Mitsu, because what Mitsu is doing makes much more sense from a marketing perspective than what they have been doing. For those who don't know, Mitsu is shifting their focus to hybrids and such; they have long since given up on rally-cars and are only making these last few Evos as a time-filler while they complete the design on the hybrid.

 

I don't know if its because you guys didn't have the Evo 7 that the CT9A didn't feel as long a body style for you , but that was out for 7 years, the 4's to 6's were out for 6 years, Indeed the CZ4A Chassis has been running 1 year longer than the CT9A but that is because it is the last full bread Evo.

What Mitsu has done differently though with this 10... is Americanize the franchise too much IMO, they went by years such as 2010 model and 2011 model which failed for them on that front, usually they made revisions by models, that's why the changes on the VII VIII and IX were more noticeable such as front and rear bumpers and the numbers. I believe if they did this it wouldn't have felt as if the car has been out so long such as what Subaru did with the STI, ignorant on Mitsu's part really.

 

That is irrelevant. So far, both models have been around for about the same length of time using the span of model years, with the CT9A being used from 2001 to 2007 (including the overseas VIIs and the overseas IXs despite there being no official 2007s in the US) and the CZ4A being used from 2008 to 2014. However, the difference is that the CT9A had three generations (VII, VIII and IX) with all of the slight updates here and there (front end redesigns, different wings, engine updates, drivetrain updates, etc.), while the CZ4A has really just been the X without any notable revisions, other than taillights, rocker panels and a new display and head unit sprinkled across its current lifespan. That's why it feel so old.

And that's why the bodystyle seems old. All they really had to do was make SOME change. Even a little ECU tweak or something. But like I said, they didn't do that. The differences between the VII, VIII and IX weren't too significant but were more than just having different bumpers and numbers as you said, but that's expected. It's not as if the V and VI were drastically different (though they both had significant changes from the IV), and the I, II and III were fairly similar to each other as well. But they at least had a new designation and something different beneath the sheetmetal.

But that's not really an "Americanized" approach to the Evo. They just ran short of money to throw at the Evo (and also the company), but again you have to invest in your product to keep people interested. But them having brought the Evo to the US made them a lot more money without having to invest a lot (since they just rolled a lot more off the assembly line -- over 10,000 Evo VIIIs alone -- while only really needing small adjustments to meet US standards and regulations that they planned for in advance). So it wasn't a mistake as much as it was them dropping the ball.

But at least with the STI, Subaru DID make a few updates here and there. They introduced the 2010-only Special Edition (which I actually really liked) that came with some of the bits and pieces from the Spec C, then they introduced the sedan bodystyle again, so there was at least some buzz going on to keep the car interesting and not just the same car year in and year out. (Mitsu did also offer a 2010-only SE of the Evo, but it wasn't really a "new" model as much as it was just a different combination of the GSR and MR hardware.)

 

Is there any evidence that more than the usual number of Evo Xs are left unsold at the end of the model-year? If not, then why should Mitsu waste any money on redesigning things that would require retooling?

Also, I can't find the source, but believe that the renaming of the CT9A Evos was because FIA would have treated them as different cars, anyway, so it's easier to just label them as different. Those are from the days when Mitsu gave a rat's behind about homologation.

 

Because if you don't keep making progress, your competition will take your customers.

Subaru knows it needed a new style, the new WRX is at least a new platform. Not the same thing over & over.

I mean zero performance gain & nothing to entice anyone into upgrading .

Was at mitsubishi other day, saw a 12 left over in showroom.

Salesman said its just been sitting.

It's not like its a ugly color it's ww, oh & they wouldn't let me test drive ANY evo.

 

I was kind of hoping for real data (as in: total production vs total sales, year by year), not one '12 sitting on one lot. Also, please remember that the X is the end, while Scooby plans to keep making STis for a while, so losing customers to Scooby isn't really an issue. After developing one of the best AWD systems evah!, Mitsu is throwing in the towel. That VW (of all makers) is moving into the performance AWD market makes Mitsu's exit almost prescient.

 

I really do miss my EVO but I couldn't help but laugh at Mitsubishi for stuffing a JDM radio (volume and menu buttons on the right hand side) into North American cars. Nothing says half hearted more than not even bothering to install a North American radio.

I don't mind that they haven't changed the looks as the EVO X still looks good today and is still distinguishes itself from the crowd. Some designs look great at first and look outdated fast. The EVO X has a nice aggressive style that still looks up to date given Lexus and some other brands are just adopting the big mouth grilles on their new cars.

 

if they tweak the hp, no matter what minor trims were made, I'm all for it.

 

hi

 

So far it looks like Don Herring in Texas only has had one 2014 come in. How many shipments does an average dealer get throughout the year? I know it's still very early for the 2014 inventories, but I'm curious on the production numbers for the 14's. Will they be in limited quantity or the same as previous years?

 

Is the Aero kit different on it?

 

From what I can tell in the pics, the aero kit looks the same.

 

are the color options getting worse every year or is that just me? specifically the blue, the VIII BBY is beautiful, and it's been going downhill ever since.