That is *EXACTLY* the purpose of a Flagship car. The Viper practically turned Dodge around. Not because it sold a million, but because it drew attention to the brand and got people to walk in the doors. The Evo and STI serve the same purpose. They are cars that the average buyer will not actually buy or afford, but it will get them in the doors. The RalliArt is an Upsell car. They will come because of the Evo, then look at the lancer, and buy a RalliArt.

Imagine if Dodge had a Baby Viper!

 

I think I understand trinydex a bit today. Lack of sleep last night.
He's saying that there is no point for a $20k+ AWD turbo car.
I could not disagree more.

Trinydex is taunting, in a way. People bought WRX before STI
came stateside. Even after STI, there is still a market for WRX.

 

^ but mitsu is doing it backwards... is that the same story? it's not. my whole point all along was, yes i realize that such a ralliart is there to compete with the wrx.

my thoughts are that there are two general types that get wrxs. those who want to go to the snow and impress high school chicks and those who are interested in the "performance." everyone else is still going to go for a wrx. you go to tahoe and all you see is subarus... you think they're all of a sudden going to change their mind and go for a lancer that has awd? subaru is the sport car, as in you do sports so you get a subaru. they solidified themselves in that market, it's gonna take YEARS to break that kind of a grip because they built their entire company around it. it's not defeated just by adding awd and turbo to a lancer.

if you guys are arguing that the performance people want it. all i'm saying is there's always been alternatives whether they were good or bad in that market. yes the ralliart will be nice, yes i don't MIND that it's an awd turbo lancer for cheaper. but if you guys are thinking mitsubishi is doing something super miraculous i can't understand that.

 

Wow.. just.. wow..

 

I think having a Ralliart also brings Mitsu back to a market it owned before the WRX came here. Remeber the GST/ Turbo Eclipses? They were quick, fun to drive and inexpensive. With all due respect to the new Lancers ( I own one) , they are fun, inexpensive but still not quick enough. The Ralliart sorta brings the spirit of the old Eclipse ( because the new ones have definitrely lost their identity) back. DSMers should know this. Everyone's been screaming for a turbo 4 cyl eclipse.
The Lancer Ralliart covers so many bases and gaps. It might have 2 more extra doors than the Eclipse, but the spirit is definitely there.
Its like hitting multiple bird with one stone.
1. Get the market back
2. Reclaim the mystique and street cred once held in the "affordable kick a ss" market
3. Kill off subaru ( wrx), Big brother Evo can take care of the STi

Any other clueless uneducated shmoe whose unaware of Mitsu's legacy, and likes the care simply because its a great car ( and it will be), will just be gravy.

Mitsu's main image was always un mainstream. Selling 4 door sedans and SUV's is what pays and makes it doable to have Evo's and specialty cars ( just the same way Porsche sells so many Cayennes to pay for development and improvement of their iconic 911 and now the boxtster and cayman) Its not selling out.

Remeber that Mitsus first US car wasnt a sedan, pick up or truck or van. No, that would be too main stream. They burst into the scene with the Starion.
( Although some of you may point out that Mitsus were sold long before as rebadged dodge's)

So maybe the Ralliart doesnt make sense to some. But Mitsu doesnt care. By caring to much and trying to be like Toyota or Honda. they lost their way. Now, their trying to come back the right way, the Mitsu way.

My .02

 

I don't understand his train of thought. He makes a point then contradicts himself.
His train of thought is WAY too narrow. You will always have new buyers in the market, not just people who already own vehicles or previous Impreza owners. Vehicles are bought based off of feelings and emotions. A car's performance is a big part of that equation, even to the so called non-performance car buyers.

As far as Subaru having that solidifying grip as he says, most Subaru or Mitsubishi owners I know have either car company's vehicle as their #2 car choice. In other words, the loyalty is there, but it's not as thick as let's say a Toyota loyalty. You know, like a wife and mistress type of relationship. You have the first one but wouldn't mind having the other. Plus if these people are basing their car purchases on performance only, what happens when you get the situation where the Lancer Ralliart offers the better performance and looks alternative to the WRX? Only in the US has the Lancer been the econobox entry level, but elsewhere in the world, the vehicle is deemed the benchmark for the small car sports sedan for more than a decade now. I'm pretty sure trinydex knew that, and so do the subaru fanboys he's talking about.

I don't think anyone thinks that is doing anything super miraculous other than finally doing things the way they should have KEPT doing for the last 7 years and that is to offer vehicles like the Ralliart Lancers. As for the alternatives, the arguments are that the alternatives are not what this niche market considers alternatives at all.

 

It's not more or less of converting current WRX owners to 08 Ralliart owners, but I see it as people who just want an affordable Evo. Well duh, of course Mitsubishi is not gonna turn current WRX owners into 08 Ralliart owners over night, but the potential of taking current WRX owners and bringing them over to the Mitsubishi side is THERE. Just look at post and replies here by current WRX owners, they have there eyes on the Ralliart. Take a look at threads over at NASIOC, those WRX owners are taking notes on the next Ralliart.

Plus it doesn't help Subaru any that they shot themselves in the face with the newly redesign WRX. It has even been quoted all over the web that the new lancer is a "sure fire hit" in design comparison and looks "leagues better than the Subaru". Also it helps Mitsubishi more that it will have alot of sharing parts with the Evo line, and we all know who popular the Evo is.

Plus it's not fiction but fact that it has been said many many many times over that people would buy a mid 20's turbo awd lancer over the WRX, because lets face it, if its one thing Mitsubishi can do right, it's they can make one hell of a turbo awd sedan.

 

since when did subaru become the de facto sports car??? i don't get this at ALL. i mean IMO anybody who even LOOKS into a wrx knows about the evo and mitsu. like any camry or accord buyer, they know what the direct alternative is. the only buyers you don't take into account are those that would be dead set on a car for whatever reason and so they won't change. BUT how many of these subaru owners are like that? is it that common to find hardcore subaru owners?

another thing to note is that the RA will be sold worldwide. and in europe, mitsu has way more "street cred" than over here where we don't have a history of awesome evos and rally fans cheering tommi's WRC wins in the evo. over here we get econobox lancers and nascar fans....

 

Well. Mitsubishi already has credibility. Mitsubishi sells more cars in other countries then the sales in the US which is for other countries; mainstream vendor.

US is just not the biggest buyer. Mitsubishi wasn't selling many cars for trial & error reasons, expecially with the changes going on in the WRC.

And if I am correct, I see more Mitsu brands then I see Subaru brands on the road here in the US. United States, that is not talking of Canada. Which they tend to lean toward Subaru.


Mitsubishi is trying to regain a seat in the US; not the other countries which their sales are fine. The word, US consumers are hearing, is that Mitsu is in the red in sales, but they are speaking of US sales. Not world sales. Which is the biggest capitalists in the world. If you can sell in the US, you got it made.

I lived in over 30 countries and I see Mitsubishi everywhere. I don't remembering seeing as many Subarus then Mitsu's.

The ralliart is an exceptional buy for a great sports car. It's a great "in-betweener" when it comes to bridging the gap between the Lancer and the Evo.

And as we are seeing, in the Lancer's class, it beats ALL cars when it comes to amenities. who can compete with that? Def not Subaru. It don't have s*** in their cars. Not WRX, not the TR, not the STI. The Lancer has a lil of both. These are some of the intentions of Mitsu. Look at Volvo, BMW, Audi, VW. Their interiors whip Mitsu & Subaru a**. There is a direction Mitsu is trying to go and with the new Lancer and Evo, they are moving. Because they are trying to upgrade their quality within. That's in every review for the Lancer.

IF and I say IF i was going to upgrade my new Lancer, with body kits or mods, or whatever tickles your pickle mods....THEN I WOULD GO THE EURO DESIGN. Not the cliche Japanese design. I think that a EURO look would look better then a Japanese style since most of the new lancer design is based on the EURO look vs. Asian style.

IMO, that is.
So what is the root of THIS debate?

 

Back on topic about the new spy pics..... lol

 

oh yeah...that is what this thread is about, huh?
LOL
Spy pics on the Ralliart.

 

Motortrend has a short piece on Lancer RalliArt.
Looks like the same car tested in death valley, from a different spy photog.
The article also asked the question whether current wrx drivers would consider switching...

http://www.motortrend.com/future/spi...ancer_ralliart

 

thanks for getting back on topic!

 

I think that if I was in the market for the Ralliart or a WRX, I'd choose the Ralliart based on better styling.

 

MotorTrend Magazine
I think it's no argument that the new look of the lancer is hell of alot better than the current WRX styling.