Mitsubishi soon to return to competition

The financial results of manufacturers are generally tedious conferences because they are monopolized by numbers as well as words relating to business and marketing. Thus, the conference held by Mitsubishi this Tuesday, May 11 concerning its performances in 2020 had everything to go unnoticed in the world of motorsport... serious error!

Indeed, the diamond brand announced to everyone's surprise the return of its Ralliart brand. Mitsubishi's sports antenna will be revived through the production of accessories for the range.

Thanks to its Lancer Evolution series, the brand founded in 1970 has made sports car enthusiasts dream. The Japanese fight between the Lancer and the Subaru Impreza made the headlines of specialist magazines for two decades.

But that's not all. Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato made another explosive announcement. “For customers who want to discover our Mitsubishi world, we will launch tailor-made accessories for our model range. Moreover, we will re-enter motorsport events around the world. »

What events? No one knows for the moment, but the Alliance subsidiary Renault-Nissan since 2016 has distinguished itself in two disciplines between the 1980s and 2000s: rally and the rally raid, under the leadership of Andrew Cowan.

In the World Rally Championship, Ralliart Europe, established as Andrew Cowan Motorsport in 1983, defended the interests of Mitsubishi through the unbeatable Tommi Mäkinen, crowned four times from 1996 to 1999. Versions WRC of the Lancer will then be less efficient and the brand officially withdraws at the end of the 2005 season.

On the rally-raid side, Mitsubishi remains the undisputed master of the Dakar despite a total absence since 2009. With 12 victories acquired over a period of 26 years, the Japanese manufacturer holds the greatest number of victories in the general Auto classification. Mitsubishi was the number 1 adversary of the French brands Peugeot (7 successes) and Citroën (4), then Volkswagen (4) in Africa.