Here's What Happened To Mitsubishi's Hardcore Performance Sub-Brand (2025)

Mitsubishi's history in rally racing is very well known. For a few decades, Mitsubishi battled it out with the likes of other great names such as Lancia, Subaru, and Ford when the WRC was one of the hottest racing events in the world. It's surprising, then, to learn that Mitsubishi's rally effort dissolved with nothing but a whisper some 15 years ago. However, it wasn't just Mitsubishi who left. Lancia exited following their 1992 season, Subaru pulled out in 2008 due to the economic recession of that time, and Ford departed in 2012, but returned a few years later.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi is a Japanese automaker founded in 1870 and is part of the Mitsubishi Group and broader Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Mitsubishi Motors officially started producing passenger vehicles in 1917, the Mitsubishi Model-A, before building a legacy as the manufacturer of off-roaders like the Pajero. Mitsubishi established a strong presence in motorsport, with models like the Lancer Evolution competing in WRC and the Pajero Evolution taking multiple wins in the Dakar Rally. Its best-ever sales year in the USA was 2002, when it sold 345,915 cars.

Founded

1870

Headquarters

Tokyo, Japan

Owned By

Mitsubishi Group

Ralliart, Mitsubishi's performance arm, was born out of their past affinity for rally racing. However, it also pulled a disappearing act, leaving loads of Mitsu fans wondering where it all went wrong. We at CarBuzz remember the good old days, when Mitsubishi was dominant, and when Ralliart meant something to the motoring world. We've gone on a bit of a dive to see just what happened to the famed Mitsubishi sub-brand.

How Ralliart Got Its Start

Ralliart Historical Facts:

• Founded in 1983 as Andrew Cowen Motorsports
• Originally based in England
• Responsible for numerous wins, including 12 in the Dakar Rally since 1983
• Became officially partnered with Mitsubishi in 1989

While Ralliart is now synonymous with Mitsubishi, it wasn't always that way. When rally driver Andrew Cowen founded Andrew Cowen Motorsports in his home country of England, he'd already been responsible for numerous wins at the helm of a Mitsubishi. Beginning in 1972, he signed an exclusivity deal with the Japanese automaker, which then supplied him with a team and vehicles, the most notable of which was the 1973 Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR (pictured above), which won the East African Safari Rally in 1974 and 1976.

Once Mr. Cowen founded his company in 1983, he'd already been close with Mitsubishi, thanks to that aforementioned exclusivity deal. Initially, the Andrew Cowen Motorsports company was renamed Ralliart in 1989, and, until then, the budding company focused on creating high-end and quality performance parts for Mitsubishi models for both the road and the rally track. 1989 also marked the year Mitsubishi officially became a part of Ralliart and an official team was formed, and they quickly got to work making a name for themselves. In 1990, Ralliart released their tuned version of the Mitsubishi Galant, dubbed the VR-4, which was also known as the "Evo." This served as the first use of the iconic name we'd all become familiar with just a few years later.

By 1999, Ralliart had won four consecutive WRC Manufacturer's Championships using the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III, IV, and VI. Famous rally drivers such as Tommi Mäkinen and Richard Burns were part of the Ralliart team and, in conjunction with the formidable Lancer Evos, brought Ralliart loads of success.

The Big Fall From Stardom

Ralliart's success expanded beyond the WRC, with the team deciding to try their hand at the Dakar Rally in 2002 using a tuned version of the Mitsubishi Pajero. They also expanded into touring car racing, using a heavily modified version of the Lancer. One of Ralliart's largest competitors, Subaru's STI team, began to dominate the WRC in the early 2000s, knocking Ralliart from the proverbial spotlight.

During this time of slipping performance, the Ralliart team was still heavily involved in the production of the Lancer Evolution line of cars, with many of these models still being held in high regard due to their power output and handling, and, today, they're still sought-after by tuning car enthusiasts. Lancer Evolutions can fetch quite a lot of money when they pop up on auction sites.

The racing team began to show signs of crumbling in the mid-2000s, as sporadic wins disappeared nearly completely, despite the teams' continued efforts to improve both their cars and their techniques as the times changed. From 1999 to 2009, Ralliart didn't see a single WRC title. Trouble was fast-approaching for the rally team and Mitsubishi as a whole, for that matter. 2008 marked the beginning of the worldwide recession, rendering costly activities such as a rally team not cost-effective.

Ralliart Bred Some Truly Great Road Cars, Though

As the end of Ralliart was near, they were still churning out some excellent road-going cars to adhere to WRC homologation standards. The first Lancer Evo came about in 1992, and was replaced every few years until the Evo Final Edition was launched in 2015. Seeing one of these on the road is a rare sight, especially those that came before the Evo VII, as prior models were not offered for sale in North America.

As was the case in rally racing, the road-going Evo's biggest competitor was the Subaru Impreza STI. A few popular examples of the STI are the bug-eye, blob-eye, and the final-gen hawk-eye. Mitsubishi's Lancer Evo was always considered a better driver's car, and offered a more engaging experience. However, the Subaru Impreza ultimately won out, as it was much easier to live with day-to-day thanks to a more forgiving suspension and larger interior space.

The Current State Of Ralliart

These days, Ralliart isn't nearly as large as it once was. The rally-bred racing team made their comeback in 2021 as a brand and as a rally team, although on a much smaller scale for the latter. Recently, Ralliart took part in the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally in a heavily-modified Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck. Those of us in the U.S. won't know much about the Triton, as it isn't sold in the States. The Ralliart team took fifth place overall, and aims to do better next year.

Ralliart is also back as a trim level. As of 2023, Mitsubishi has offered a Ralliart trim on most of their models, such as the Outlander and the now-defunct Mirage. The Ralliart trim doesn't do much in the way of performance, as it's more of an appearance package. However, even as a small scale comeback, it's still heartwarming to see Ralliart badges plastered across a Mitsubishi again.