Mitsubishi is set to relaunch the dormant Ralliart sports brand after 11 years, having put it on hiatus at the start of the last decade.
The takeover was quietly announced as part of Mitsubishi’s annual earnings call. It is hoped that the return of the Ralliart brand will help achieve the Japanese automaker’s goal of “making Mitsubishi Moters-ness”.
“We have decided to relaunch the Ralliart brand for Mitsubishi Motors brand customers who want to add even more to Mitsubishi Motors-ness,” said Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi.
“For customers who want to experience our Mitsubishi-ness, we will be launching tailor-made accessories for our model line-up as well as re-entering motorsport events around the world,” he added.
In the presentation, a Mitsubishi L200 pickup is shown with a Ralliart makeover, with another image referring to “Ralliart Parts”. It’s still unclear whether the brand will be used for stand-alone performance models or on upgrade packages for standard Mitsubishi models.
The Ralliart brand was put on hold in 2010 after 25 years of high performance development and motorsport development. The decision was made due to financial concerns, but Mitsubishi’s motorsport legacy is still alive today. He had huge success with Tommi Makinen driving the Lancer Evo in the rally world, winning four consecutive world titles, and also notched a record 12 victories in the formidable Dakar.
It has not yet been revealed which motorsport events Mitsubishi intends to return to, or which vehicles will bear the Ralliart name, although they are unlikely to make it to UK shores, given Mitsubishi’s recent decision to exit the market, along with other countries in Europe.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-12 16:51:25
