After unveiling the Sportback concept car at the Frankfurt show, Mitsubishi chose its own backyard, the Tokyo auto show, to reveal the Concept X.
The Concept X is likely a thinly disguised version of the next-generation Lancer Evolution. However, according to Mitsubishi officials, there is a strong possibility that the car that replaces the Evolution IX will be given a new name. (Think again, we say, as the Evolution name is widely accepted and respected.)
Mitsubishi's Concept X was styled at the company's research-and-development center in Germany. The upright grille and the air intakes were supposedly inspired by the counterpart devices on an F-16 fighter plane. Bulges and flares combine with the strong face of the Concept X to radiate an aggressiveness that has been present on all Evos. Furthermore, the wedge shape looks like it's ready to do battle on the World Rally stage, a good thing since the Evo IX that races in the World Rally Championship has been struggling of late. The Concept X is slightly larger than the Evo IX and sits on a revised and beefed-up Outlander platform.
Powering the Concept X is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with variable valve timing and a turbo. In the Concept X, output is expected to be over 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Shifting gears is via a six-speed sequential manual transmission with paddle shifters, although there is talk of a continuously variable transmission possibly making it under the hood of the production version. Putting the power to the road is an all-wheel-drive system that is similar to the one in the current Evo—an active center differential with limited-slip differentials on each end. We're hoping to see the production version sometime in 2007.