Mitsubishi's newly appointed president just gave Evo faithful the clearest signal they've heard from the top in years. Keisuke Kishiura, who took the helm at Mitsubishi Motors in 2026, went on record calling the Lancer Evolution—along with the Diamante and Galant—"very important cars for Mitsubishi Motors" and a company "treasure." No launch date, no confirmed platform, no specs. But the words came from the president's mouth, and that matters.

 

Kishiura also revealed that his first car was a manual-transmission Lancer Turbo—a rear-wheel-drive machine he drove to ski resorts despite the obvious disadvantages. That detail isn't throwaway color. It tells you this isn't a suit reading talking points. When he says he wants to make Mitsubishi "one that can once again produce such cars in the future," he's speaking from a place of genuine attachment to what the nameplate represents.