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Mitsubishi Evolution Final Edition goes out with a bang

The end of a long era - one we got to experience too little of - is just about at an end, and this car is its gravestone. The 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition is the last breath of ten generations of Lancer Evos, three of which came to the US. Mitsubishi launched a Final Edition Evo X in Japan earlier this year, after teasing a 473-horsepower concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon, now it's our turn. Built on the lower GSR trim, our model gets 303 hp, a bump of 12 hp, and torque goes up by five pound-feet to 305 lb-ft. The bigger modification is arguably the fitment of Bilstein shocks wrapped in Eibach springs all around, plus two-piece Brembo calipers on the front axle, all of which come standard on the upper-level MR trim. Dark chrome Enkei wheels match the dark chrome front grille surround. Like the grille, other changes for the Final Edition appear to be ornamental: black aluminum roof, black interior with red accent stitching, and special badging. Mitsubishi is putting 1,600 on sale here, each one with a numbered plaque just ahead of the shifter for the five-speed manual transmission. A second badge makes an appearance on the decklid. Final Edition Evos come in one of four colors, new Pearl White, Rally Red, Mercury Gray and Octane Blue, and cost $37,995. That price puts it $700 above the GSR Premium trim, and $1,000 below the entry MR trim. There are two press releases below with more information. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: THE 2015 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION FINAL EDITION: LIMITED-PRODUCTION MODEL BIDS FAREWELL TO LEGENDARY SPORTS SEDAN • The Final Edition is based off the current GSR model featuring new enhancements and increases to horsepower and torque • Only 1,600 units will be sold in the U.S. market, each marked by a numbered plaque CYPRESS, Calif. Oct. 5, 2015 – Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today announced the details of the limited-production 2015 Lancer Evolution Final Edition. Arguably the originator of the four-door sports car genre, the Lancer Evolution has seen ten generations – three of which were sold in the U.S. over 12 years. To send it off in style, Mitsubishi Motors will offer 1,600 numbered Final Edition models to the U.S. market with a MSRP of $37,995. The Lancer Evolution Final Edition is based off the current GSR model, with exterior and interior enhancements not previously offered on the GSR.

Japanese earthquakes send ripples through auto industry

The earthquakes since April 14 in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu are having aftershocks on the US auto industry, particularly for Toyota. The company shut down most of its factories in the country due to parts shortages, and the plants will be closed at least through April 23. "Decisions regarding recommencement of operation at plants in Japan will be made on the basis of availability of parts," the company said in a statement. According to Automotive News, Toyota's closed factories include a vast range of popular models in the US, including the Toyota Prius, Mirai, RAV4, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Lexus ES, LS, IS, GS, RC, NX, RX, GX, and LX. The company's only sites in Japan that are still open build Hino trucks, Daihatsu models, and the Toyota Century limo. Toyota isn't yet sure whether these shutdowns could lead to vehicle shortages in the US. "As you can imagine, we are still reviewing the situation and working to learn more," company spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. "While we know that production will be suspended in stages at most of our vehicle assembly facilities in Japan between April 18th and the 23rd, we do not know if they will continue production suspensions. Also, any effects to our inventory and/or sales have yet to be determined." He expects the automaker to know more in the coming days. Many of the affected Toyota plants aren't even in Kumamoto Prefecture, but major suppliers have factories in the region. For example, Aisin Seiki and Renesas Electronics both had to shutdown operations at plants in the area, according to Automotive News. Toyota isn't the only automaker affected. Nissan experienced a brief slowdown but was back to work on Monday, and Honda has suspended a motorcycle plant in the region until Friday. Mitsubishi had to close a production line due to the parts shortage, according to The Japan Times, but it didn't affect US models. "A supplier to our Mizushima plant has been impacted but they only supply an engine part for our mini car line. That line has been temporarily shut down due to that situation," spokesperson Alex Fedorak told Autoblog. "That same plant builds the Lancer and i-MiEv and there has been no impact to that line and production continues uninterrupted." Two major quakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture around Kumamoto city in the past week. The first on April 14 measured 6.4 magnitude, and a second on April 16 measured 7.3.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #357 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #357 tonight, joined by Jeff Glucker of the Hooniverse Podcast. You can check out the topics below, drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module, and don't forget to subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so. To take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #357
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