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Japanese Rally Rockets
Mitsu’s next Evo and Subie’s next Impreza pegged for U.S. premieres in 2007
By BOB GRITZINGER
AutoWeek | Published 11/06/06, 8:45 am et
American muscle cars claim center stage at this week’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, but look for a couple of SEMA-favorites from Japan to grab the auto show spotlight down the road.
The much-anticipated next-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X makes its near-production debut this coming January at the Detroit show, followed by the response from the competition, the next-gen Subaru Impreza—the base car for the next WRX STI—at the New York show in April.
Mitsubishi’s lightly disguised Evo X debuts at Detroit alongside its mainstream sibling Lancer sedan. The Evo will carry many of the design cues first revealed on Concept X at the 2005 Tokyo motor show. Mitsu-bishi will head back to Tokyo in October 2007 for the world premiere of the official production 2009 Evo, which should go on sale in early 2008 in the States.
Mechanically, the all-wheel-drive Evo X will likely pack a 2.0-liter, 300-hp turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a six-speed Automatic Direct Select Gear clutchless transmission, or a traditional six-speed close-ratio manual transmission.
Not to be outdone, Subaru will bring out an all-new Impreza, with a conceptual version of the base Impreza making its world debut on the New York stage next spring. Though the STI shown here won’t arrive until sometime in 2008, look for the base Impreza in mid-2007, followed soon after by the Impreza WRX.
Count on the same tried- and-true formula: a turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four, making as much as 330 hp in STI guise, all-wheel drive, and razor-sharp handling. STI is expected in sedan and hatchback configurations.
By BOB GRITZINGER
AutoWeek | Published 11/06/06, 8:45 am et
American muscle cars claim center stage at this week’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, but look for a couple of SEMA-favorites from Japan to grab the auto show spotlight down the road.
The much-anticipated next-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X makes its near-production debut this coming January at the Detroit show, followed by the response from the competition, the next-gen Subaru Impreza—the base car for the next WRX STI—at the New York show in April.
Mitsubishi’s lightly disguised Evo X debuts at Detroit alongside its mainstream sibling Lancer sedan. The Evo will carry many of the design cues first revealed on Concept X at the 2005 Tokyo motor show. Mitsu-bishi will head back to Tokyo in October 2007 for the world premiere of the official production 2009 Evo, which should go on sale in early 2008 in the States.
Mechanically, the all-wheel-drive Evo X will likely pack a 2.0-liter, 300-hp turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a six-speed Automatic Direct Select Gear clutchless transmission, or a traditional six-speed close-ratio manual transmission.
Not to be outdone, Subaru will bring out an all-new Impreza, with a conceptual version of the base Impreza making its world debut on the New York stage next spring. Though the STI shown here won’t arrive until sometime in 2008, look for the base Impreza in mid-2007, followed soon after by the Impreza WRX.
Count on the same tried- and-true formula: a turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four, making as much as 330 hp in STI guise, all-wheel drive, and razor-sharp handling. STI is expected in sedan and hatchback configurations.
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