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Yes, the Mitsubishi Evo could become an electrified crossover, but don't panic

By now, many of you have seen that Mitsubishi will reveal a concept with the Evolution name at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it will be an electrified crossover. On the surface, that sounds like heresy when the Evolution name has always stood for an uncompromising, rally-bred, turbocharged sports sedan. But don't jump to the conclusion that this will be a terrible, halfhearted product that ruins the Evo name. It's a smart move for Mitsubishi, it could be the only way we get a performance vehicle from the company, and there's no reason it can't be good. Creating an Evo version of a crossover, or even a standalone Evo model, simply makes the most sense for Mitsubishi right now. There's no sign that people are getting tired of little lifted automobiles, which means that's where the sales and money are. Because of that, crossovers are the only product that Mitsubishi can safely afford to invest in right now. As much as we'd like to see another Evo sedan, the company can't afford to sink a big development budget into a one-off sedan for the very small enthusiast market. Investing in a basic sedan to use as a base isn't a good idea either, since that market also continues to shrink, and it's populated with very competitive models. Those facts won't comfort Mitsubishi fans, but looking at it another way could. Rather than looking at this concept as Evolution blasphemy, consider it a sign that the company wants to make something exciting again. Since most of the news from Mitsubishi has been the discontinuation of really old models, and updates to the less-old models still in the lineup, it's been hard to tell if any of the Mitsubishi that fans loved was left. Look at this crossover as a gateway to getting a fun Mitsubishi again. And this possible future Evo could genuinely be fun. We're not exactly raving fans of crossovers, either, since they're often heavy, expensive, slow and inefficient compared with similarly sized hatchbacks and sedans. But that's not a hard and fast rule. Nissan proved this with the Juke Nismo. Despite its tall body, it had a healthy amount of power and entertaining dynamics. There's no reason Mitsubishi couldn't do the same with a small crossover. It might even be better, because Mitsubishi clearly has some wizards when it comes to weight and cost, as evidenced by the one-ton, ultra-affordable Mitsubishi Mirage. The same goes for electrification.

Japan readying first stealth fighter for 2016 test

This post is appearing on Autoblog Military, Autoblog's sub-site dedicated to the vehicles, aircraft and ships of the world's armed forces. The nation of Japan is somewhat unique in terms of the world's militaries. Following its loss in World War II, the country was stripped of its ability to wage war, and its military was reestablished nearly a decade later not as an aggressive force but as a self-defense force. Today, the Japanese constitution forbids the country from maintaining anything but its Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe first took office in September 2006 and continuing in his second term, which began in late 2012, Japan's military has seen something of a renaissance. Earlier this year, the country's legislature officially approved a new law that allowed Japan to use its military in international conflicts, even if there's no direct threat to the Home Islands. And even earlier still, Japan announced a desire to increase its drone capability. Now, like the US, Russia, and China, the country is preparing its own stealth fighter. Slated to take to the skies for its maiden flight in early 2016, the Advanced Technology Demonstrator X is a Mitsubishi-built plane that looks like the lovechild of an F-22 Raptor, an F-16 Falcon, and an F/A-18 Hornet. According to the attached video from Bloomberg, the ATD-X carries all the stealth fighter hallmarks. Its shape is designed to minimize its radar cross-section, while the body is coated in radar-absorbent material. And of course, the weapons systems are stored within underbelly bays. But why is Japan even testing it, especially when you consider the company placed an order for 42 F-35 Lightning IIs way back in 2011? Well, for one, it's going to be a lot more affordable than the F-35, which is the single most expensive weapons platform in human history. Where individual F-35s cost around $100 million, depending on what source you're looking at, Bloomberg reports that the ATD-X could be developed for just $324 million. Even if there are some utterly absurd cost overruns and the per-unit cost is closer to astronomical than affordable, putting together a fleet of production ATD-X's is probably going to be cheaper overall. You can hear more about why Japan is considering the ATD-X in the video down below. Check it out.

Mitsubishi planning high-performance Outlander PHEV under revived Ralliart banner

Mitsubishi is finally getting some of its mojo back with its redesigned — and competitive — Outlander. The company reportedly plans to build on that momentum with a high-performance variant of the SUV, bolstering its newly revived Ralliart performance division in the process.  Wait, a non-luxury performance SUV? Well, if any company can pull it off it would be Mitsubishi. It has the history of its WRC victories and Paris-Dakar Rally dominance to build on. Nearly its entire racing heritage has been forged on dirt, not tarmac, so a hotted-up Mitsu SUV doesn't seem so farfetched.  According to Japan's Best Car magazine, the all-out Outlander will be based on the Outlander Vision Ralliart concept shown over a year ago at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. The model will supposedly be called the Outlander PHEV Ralliart, and will feature extensive tuning to set it apart from the standard version. Best Car reports that the chassis will be reinforced to increase body rigidity. Mitsubishi will also strengthen the suspension and visually distinguish it with unique aero bits. What that may be isn't specified, but the Auto Salon concept had wider fenders in front and rear, a new front grille and bumper, and big diffuser beneath a redesigned rear fascia. The concept also came with larger rotors and six-piston calipers in front. The Outlander PHEV Ralliart's drivetrain, says Best Car, will based on the 2.4-liter plug-in hybrid setup on the base car. However, combined power between gasoline and hybrid systems will total an estimated 286 horsepower. Finally, the magazine predicts that the Outlander PHEV Ralliart will arrive in 2024. Japanese pricing is approximated at JPY5.5 to 6.1 million, which converts to $40,300 to $44,700 at current exchange rates, but we expect it to be closer to the high end of that range. With crossovers and SUVs as the de facto car these days, it was only a matter of time before mainstream marques began souping up such daily drivers. If Honda can create an 800-horsepower CR-V race car, a sports Outlander seems only natural. We'll just be here waiting for the first crossover racing league. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.