Mitsubishi, Subaru, Nissan to Offer
Sporty Models to Americans

By TODD ZAUN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

When Coleman Fung heard that one of his dream cars, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, would finally be available in the U.S., the New York resident raced over to the nearest dealership with a $1,000 deposit so that he would be one of the first to get one.

Mr. Fung, a software-company owner on Long Island, agreed earlier this spring to pay the dealer $1,000 over the yet-to-be-determined list price for the car, which is sold only in Japan and Europe and which he has never even tested. Why would he agree to such a deal?

"I'm a motor head," says the 39-year-old Mr. Fung. "I've been reading about the Evo VII for years, and always wished they'd exported it to the U.S.," he says.

The Lancer Evolution is one of several examples of high-performance Japanese sports cars that, until recently, Americans didn't have a prayer of buying. While Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has been building versions of the rally-inspired sports sedan for years, the company hasn't offered it in the U.S. That's because, like other Japanese auto makers, Mitsubishi didn't think there was enough demand in the U.S. to justify the expense of reconfiguring them to meet U.S. safety and emissions standards.

But in recent months, Japanese car makers have begun making many of their best hot-rod sedans available to U.S. drivers for the first time. Subaru started the trend when it began selling its 227-horsepower Impreza WRX in the U.S. a year ago, at prices starting at about $24,000, and a Subaru spokesman says the company is considering bringing its brawnier, 260-horsepower WRX STi to the U.S. next year.

Mitsubishi plans to introduce the Lancer Evolution VII in the U.S. next spring for what the company says will be "less than $30,000," while Mazda Motor Corp. will begin selling its RX-8 sports car in the U.S. at about the same time. The rotary-engine-powered RX-8 replaces the RX-7, which for six years Mazda has been sold only in Japan.

Further into the future, Nissan Motor Co. may offer American drivers a new version of one of Japan's most-legendary sports cars, the Skyline GTR. The $40,000 GTR has never been sold in the U.S., but in Japan, it is as well-known among car buffs as the Chevrolet Corvette is to American motor heads. Though Nissan discontinued the GTR last year, it has already shown concept versions of a new design.

Drivers who don't want to wait for the GTR can get a hint of its muscle in a car that Nissan's Infiniti luxury division introduced in the U.S. in March. The G35 sedan, which starts from $27,645, is the U.S. version of the Nissan Skyline, another sporty sedan that its Japanese maker long kept from American drivers and which is also the base model for the GTR. Infiniti will also introduce a more-powerful G35 Coupe this fall.

Japanese car makers have two goals in bringing these hot rods to the U.S. First is a straightforward desire to sell more cars by targeting the growing performance-car market. They also hope the models will give their overall brands a sportier image to attract the young drivers who represent one of the fastest-growing groups of buyers.

Already, Subaru is proving there is a market for Japanese muscle cars. Subaru manufacturer Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. sold 18,060 WRXs in the eight months the car was on sale in the U.S. last year and is on pace to move about 24,000 WRXs this year, more than double the company's initial projections.

While the cars are welcome to enthusiasts like Mr. Fung, they are clearly not for everyone. Like all sports cars, they sacrifice comfort for performance.

The Lancer Evolution VII is the model that makes the least effort to act civilized. In a test drive this month in Japan, one motorist found the vehicle to be more than just a commuter car on steroids; it is an authentic rally car, made for off-road races, that has been tamed just enough to be street legal.

The all-wheel-drive, turbo-charged sedan is extraordinarily quick, edgy and so stiff you feel every bump in the road. Of course, for driving fanatics like Mr. Fung these are "very good things."

Although the U.S. version of the Lancer Evolution will likely be a little less powerful than the 276-horsepower model used in the Japanese test drive, it still will probably go from 0 to 60 mph in five seconds or less, on par with some of the world's fastest production cars.

With that kind of performance, the car has a way of commanding your full attention. Applying makeup or drinking a cup of coffee while driving the Lancer Evolution wouldn't be a good idea, but still, the car wouldn't make a bad commuter. The sports seats are firm but comfortable, and the back seat is roomy enough for even full-size folks.

Mitsubishi says it has fairly modest expectations for U.S. sales volume, aiming to sell about 4,000 of the vehicles a year. "We expect it to be profitable but that's not what this is about. It's about performance and brand image," he says.

 

soon Skylines will be everywhere!

 

I love that Lancer! Especially in GT3... ahh the rally edition!
*drool*

ps. that thing called a "skyline" thats alright too...

 

"alright"? watch you language there!

 

that was a nice article...good for lamers, but also nice for us.

 

Finally some concrete proof that the 3 Japanese badboys are now going to grace the shores of America. Vette's beware it's time for you to go back to the drawing board or face the embarrassment of having a newly bought 4cyl dust your ***.

 

*mwahahahah* (evil laughter) yup..here come the days of 2.0L motors pumping out 300hp...I've always warned my friends....jap cars..High Hp..Low displacement...ITS ALL ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.. Now..where do i sign up for the new skyline GTR?

 

In like lets say about 5 years i would love to see an article in Car and Driver about a road test of..
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
Nissan Skyline GTR
Subaru WRX SDI

vs.

Chevy Corvette Z06
Ford Mustang Cobra
Dodge Viper

That would be one hell of a test, love to see the results

 

just give it time...we've already dominated in power output of 4cyl motors..we've got 6cyl down pretty well..and im pretty sure were working on 8cyl..with nissan's 4.5..toyota 4.3...etc... Foreign will domainate..

 

If you're looking for the GTR don't hold your breath...but do save your money. Remember, Nissan and Infiniti are sending out a kajillion new models over the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the GTR isn't one of them. But the concept is getting lots of attention...especially since the one that's on tour has a steering wheel on the left side. I think the GTR will happen, heck the sedan version is roaming the streets right now. In less than a year the skyline coupe will be be prowling around with it. Add some turbos, stiffer suspension, AWD...

Nissan wants to sell the Z-car and G35 in all their different forms before having people decide on a Z-car, G35, or GTR. But hey, I'm not psychic.

 

Skyline comming here yeahhhhhh!!!
Im kinda hesitant in driving a car named a Lancer sounds like a gay guys name. But Id take one. Yes I know what its capable of.

Skyline all the way!!!!

 

Evo VII...

 

no doubt my man...
I CANT STAND THE THOUGHT OF RICEBOYS DRIVING THESE CARS! JUST CANT! ill cry!!!!
i dont think we deserve such nice toys here
i pick ...STI!!!
why? cuz i like the wrx better than lancer, and ...whats the gtr!? have you seen the pics of this thing!??!!?!! oh geez! unless its the real r35..

 

Hey ... I'm in your sig

 

if the skyline ever comes to the states, i will be first in line to get one no matter what!!

 

sigh I'd have to second that. BTW has anyone ever wondered about this:
The G35 and 350z look similiar
Both claim to have the "enheratence" of the skyline
hrmm

I'd love to see those both neck and neck ahhh.

Well anyway. I was dreaming of a g35 coupe, but now it's back to the GTR. sha-WING!

 

I would also rather pick the STi over the EVO...and if they bring the EVO over it will be the EVO VIII. It looks pretty much like the VII but it has few minor exterior changes and probably tremendous power changes. The front grille is stupid on the 8 compared to the 7. It splits it into 2. Go to www.myevo.com and see it if you already haven't. MY DREAM CAR IS THE SUBARU IMPREZA P1 STi. (well under 50,000 Dollars)

 

Someplace after me

 

All this talk about GTR reminds me of a kid at school that put a GTR emblem on his cavalier....sad. Just plain sad. Oh well, I can see it now: July 2010 edition of Car and Driver: "Skyline vs. Viper - The downfall of American muscle." I was reading about a Skyline at skylinesdownunder.com, this puppy had 1300 hp! I about creamed myself! Lordy! I can't wait till my lawsuit against McDonalds comes through so I can get one! (Just kidding...I don't really have a lawsuit against McDonalds...although...That's not a bad idea... )

 

I don't think it's the Skyline everyone cares about. It's the GT-R.

 

Some more pictures to drool over.

 

Last I heard a GTR was a SKYLINE...

 

Actually, as of the R35, the Skyline and the GT-R may become two seperate designations.

And not all Skylines were GT-Rs. People forget.

 

im sorry, but i dont think that's as bad as it gets...how bout a 'zuki with a benz logo on the grill, kinda like an slk? *shudders* that damn thing is SOOOO ugly, and i see it around town once in a while.

eric

 

I think we've got V6's pretty well owned also.

(Chevy Impala V6 3.8L=200hp)
(Ford Mustang V6 3.8L=190hp)
(2k2 Nissan Maxima 3.5L=255)
(4th Gen Maxima 3.0L=190hp)

Much more power with less displacement.

And let's not even go into reliability...(Last car was a V6 Camaro - 3 Engines in 5 years) - (Which is why I bought a VQ!)
IanS

 

...but all gt-r's were skylines

 

The same was true back in the 80s too. I remember reading about the old Chevy Beretta, with its 130hp 3.1L V6! At the same time, Maximas had the VG30E with 162hp.

 

Let's not forget that everything that we get here comes with softer suspension and no *****. Maybe I'm going to far with the idea of no *****, but how can one say that the g35 is the american version of the skyline? I'll believe it when I see it.

 

Because the Skyline is a 4 door sedan?

 

The Skyline I like is a two door not a four. I just want a car with some real ***** to began with. Bring back the Supra!

 

hahaha. that car has *****...yeah...right.

 

It's sad that this is all coming now. They couldn't have brought the cars over/kept some of the mid-90s cars here when they still looked good or in some cases, half-way decent (ie, the older WRXs, late-gen RX-7s, late-gen supras, Evo VII, and last but not least...the GT-R. That touched-up Z concept GT-R is the ugliest thing I've ever seen).

It seems like just about anything that comes out these days doesn't appeal to my taste in style though. Although it seems the G35 coupe has managed to make the Z-design fairly attractive somehow. I don't like it at all in Z-form.

 

Yeah it does, a $1400 upgrade can take you up about 500hp. The 1/4 one those is low 12's so you're right it has no *****!

 

No engine changes will be made to the Evo VIII. The grille isn't that much different either.
But it will have a 6-speed transmission (finally!)

 

If it looks anything like the Evo VII its gonna get another fugliness award.

 

In my opinion, I think the car looks nice. If you are talking about the tail lights...well the Maximas are also pretty odd looking too.

 

Just the general shape..... it looks like a squashed lancer. Pretty much designed as a rally car so I guess looks wheren't a big factor. I wouldn't mind one though just never buy one