Mitsubishi to return to motorsport with revived Ralliart brand
After 11 years dormant, the Japanese brand hopes performance arm’s rebirth will “realise Mitsubishi Motors-ness
Mitsubishi is set to revive the dormant Ralliart sporting brand after 11 years, having put it on hiatus at the beginning of the last decade.
The revival was quietly announced as part of Mitsubishi’s annual earnings call. It is hoped the return of the Ralliart brand will help fulfil the Japanese car maker’s objective to “realise Mitsubishi Moters-ness.”
“We have decided to relaunch the Ralliart brand for customers in Mitsubishi Motors brand who want to add to Mitsubishi Motors-ness even more,” said Takao Kato, Mitsubishi CEO.
“For customers who wish to experience our Mitsubishi-ness, we will launch custom-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 pick up is shown with a Ralliart makeover, with another image featuring a reference to ‘Ralliart Parts’. It remains unclear whether the branding will be used for standalone performance models, or on upgrade packages for standard Mitsubishi models.
The Ralliart brand was mothballed in 2010 after 25 years of high-performance tuning and motorsport development. The decision was made due to financial issues, but Mitsubishi’s motorsport heritage still holds strong today. It achieved huge success with Tommi Makinen at the wheel of the Lancer Evo in the rallying world, winning four consecutive world titles, and has also claimed a record 12 victories in the formidable Dakar Rally.
It has not yet been revealed which motorsport events Mitsubishi intends to return to, nor which vehicles will bear the Ralliart name, though it’s unlikely they will arrive on UK shores, given Mitsubishi’s recent decision to exit the market, along with other countries in Europe.
*READ MORE*
*Mitsubishi to sell two Renault-based models in Europe from 2023*
*2021 Mitsubishi Outlander reinvented for fourth generation*
*Industry analysis: can the UK pick-up truck market recover?*