This may not seem to be relevant to the Indian market, but we think Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors should bring this Lancer to our country, if only to rebuild the brand. The new Lancer RALLIART ('Galant Fortis RALLIART' to the Japanese,) Mitsubishi's equivalent of Honda's Type R models or Nissan's NISMO ones, has just been announced.
The Lancer RALLIART makes 240bhp @ 6000rpm and 35.0kgm @ 3000rpm from its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine. It gets the Twin-clutch SST transmission from the Lancer Evolution X with taller 5th and 6th ratios for better economy while cruising at speed. The automatic transmission will have two modes, 'Normal' and 'Sport', to choose from. The car uses a full-time 4WD system comprising a front helical limited slip differential, an Active Center Differential and a mechanical rear LSD. These components as well as Active Stability Control and Anti-lock Braking are all electronically and 
integrally managed by Mitsubishi's vehicle dynamics control system. The Active Center Differential can be set to either 'tarmac,' 'gravel' or 'snow' modes to allow for varying driving conditions. The power is fed to 18-inch rims fitted with 215/45 tyres, which are connected to the body by the suspension's stiffer control arms and mountings and the use of high-rigidity cast iron trailing arms at the rear. Braking is handled by 16-inch ventilated discs with two-pot calipers.
The Indian market may not be ready for a family saloon that can fly at a twitch of the
right foot, but we sure wish we had the choice. We'd pick this over an Italian exotic time and time again, simply because it'd be so much more useable over a fun weekend in the real world. Mitsubishi, are you listening?
