Mitsubishi has just announced the rebirth of ralliart , its competition and high performance division that had been closed in 2010, a consequence, also, of the 2008 financial crisis.
At the time, Masao Taguchi, its manager, said that “due to the sudden change in the economic situation in the previous year, the commercial circumstances surrounding the company have changed radically”.
It was the end of a department with 25 years of history and with cards given in the rally world and in the Dakar, where Mitsubishi continues to be the brand with the most triumphs ever: 12.
Since 2010, the use of the Ralliart name has been reduced to almost nothing and boiled down to a few aftermarket customization components derived from competition for production models.
In addition, in Italy, the Ralliart flame was kept alive with the participation in the world production and in 2016, Mitsubishi Spain even ran the Spanish asphalt rally championship with a Lancer Evo X.
Now, during the 2020 financial results presentation conference, the three diamond brand confirmed that it will “reborn the Ralliart brand” and, interestingly, it was even possible to see the image of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV used in the Baja de Portalegre 2015.
Details about this Ralliart renaissance are very sparse, but the Japanese media is already moving forward with a possible return to competition and quotes Takao Kato, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, to confirm: “For customers who want to experience the uniqueness of Mitsubishi, we are considering installing genuine accessories in our model lineup and participating in motorsports.”
Comparisons with Toyota's “rival” GAZOO Racing are inevitable and we can see Mitsubishi wanting to pursue a similar commercial strategy. However, and at a time when the Japanese brand is almost entirely focused on SUVs, a return to the WRC seems highly unlikely.