RIP Ralliart

[exitspeed]

Ralliart announces it is closing its doors... so what does that mean for Mitsubishi? — Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/10/ralliart-announces-it-is-closing-its-doors-so-what-does-that/)

In a letter issued to its customers, Ralliart, a Japanese high-performance subsidiary of Mitsubishi, has announced that it is closing its doors. The company's business case has apparently faded, a victim of the wilting domestic aftermarket scene as well as its lack of continued motorsports involvement.

Naturally, we wondered if and how the closure of the company responsible for its high-performance parts and related merchandise would impact the development, production and marketing of Mitsubishi vehicles sold here in the States – more specifically, the Lancer Ralliart and Sportback Ralliart models. To answer that question, we spoke with Mitsu spokesman Maurice Durand, and he informs us that the closure of Ralliart will not, in fact, have any affect on the availability or continued marketing of these models (or any future branded offerings), as Mitsubishi owns the rights to the name, logo, and so on. Furthermore, all licensing agreements in foreign countries remain intact.

So, while you may not be able to get a genuine JDM Ralliart strut-tower brace or shift knob, you can breath easy that the SportBack that you've been saving your lunch money for will still be at your local dealer by the time you've got enough scratch. Official press release after the jump.


Even if you aren't a Mitsu fan this is sad to see.

[Homer_Simpson]

Pretty sad indeed.

[Brian]

Damn knockoff companies....

[sickstatus]

ohh man... what company is gunna fall next?

[Soup Nazi]

Wow, unreal

[DALAZ_68]

Damn knockoff companies....


pretty much...pretty much...

[Antihero983]

Damn knockoff companies....

LOL WHAT.

Then why isn't TRD or SPT going under?

normally I agree with that sentiment, but definitely not in this case, as they are a part of a company that has been hemorrhaging money for years, and is losing more and more footing in the auto market every year.

[Brian]

Was I being serious or was I just starting shit?
You be the judge. lol

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

lol. knockoffs.


but anyways, this is pretty sad, but expected. there is no use for ralliart when mitsubishi no longer practices the art of rally.

[Enna]

Sad day for Mitsu. Kinda forseen though seeing as how they backed out of the rally game.

[ManoNegra]

Didn't they kicked out of WRC for cheating?
That may have gotten the ball rolling.

[HyperTek]

how popular are mitsus? the whole dsm and evo fans/community seems pretty small compared to hondas , toyotas, or even nissan.

[Homer_Simpson]

Didn't they kicked out of WRC for cheating?
That may have gotten the ball rolling.
You're thinking Toyota. They got the boot for one year in the 90s.

[wangan_cruiser]

You're thinking Toyota. They got the boot for one year in the 90s.

i thought toyota just got out of rally and focusing more on jgtc

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

when toyota left rallying in 1996, it was to start up on their lemans program. mitsubishi left because they were no longer competitive and could not afford to start from scratch.

[ManoNegra]

You're thinking Toyota. They got the boot for one year in the 90s.

ah, you're right it was Toyota

but Mitsus leaving WRC couldn't have helped Ralliart

[ZilviaKid]

who cares, those ralliart cars sucked anyway.

oh wow yellow paint and ricey wheels! totally worth the extra money

[MisawaJason]

Times is tough

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

who cares, those ralliart cars sucked anyway.

oh wow yellow paint and ricey wheels! totally worth the extra money

i know canada is slow (eh), but i wasn't aware you guys were still stuck in 2003.

this is a lancer ralliart (in the present, or future, for canada at least.)

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/g/A/1/09LancerRalliart_Lside.jpg

[ZilviaKid]

no need for name calling fat redneck

i wasnt aware they came turbo'd now

[ronmcdon]

idk if you can say that sucks.

I've owned an evo for a few years,
I honestly I can say there's nothing in the Ralliart catalogue that appeals to me.
They're just super-expensive botique cosmetic mods, & subtle perforamance add-ons.
Like you would pay $500 for some carbon mirror covers.

About the Lancer Ralliart,
The Lancer Ralliart is also kinda pointless imo.
They only offer an auto for it.
It's also expensive @ 27k.
At that rate, the cheaper, more powerful WRX or even an EVO at slight premium seems to be the better value.
Evo Xs have been selling more or less at invoice @ 31k.
Now if you must drive an auto, they aren't such a bad car.

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

no need for name calling fat redneck

i wasnt aware they came turbo'd now

then think before you speak. fuck you guys are stupid. at least make it appear as if you know something before acting all hard and "anti-ricer".


oh yeah, sick burn with the fat redneck comment. you sure got me. livin' all country in the 6th largest city in the United States and shit.

[ZilviaKid]

then think before you speak. fuck you guys are stupid. at least make it appear as if you know something before acting all hard and "anti-ricer".


oh yeah, sick burn with the fat redneck comment. you sure got me. livin' all country in the 6th largest city in the United States and shit.
can you be more butt hurt?

cry more bro

[Brian]

You guys should be fighting against nazis and stuff.
Why bother fighting against eachother?
You're on the same team.

[drift freaq]

can you be more butt hurt?

cry more bro



Dude you need to check yourself. You were the one that got butt hurt and called him a fat ......... You were the one that made a comment without knowing what you were talking about.
When you got called on it with the slow comment, you went off. I don't think he is butt hurt at all. In fact I know he is not.

You on the other hand are tweaked and looking for a fight. Suggestion shut the fuck up. You got owned get over it.

[VROOOM]

idk if you can say that sucks.

I've owned an evo for a few years,
I honestly I can say there's nothing in the Ralliart catalogue that appeals to me.
They're just super-expensive botique cosmetic mods, & subtle perforamance add-ons.
Like you would pay $500 for some carbon mirror covers.





this is so true, only thing i would buy would be the Ralliart carbon lip and its something like 1200 dollars.

[murda-c]

You guys should be fighting against nazis and stuff.
Why bother fighting against eachother?
You're on the same team.


Yeah can't you see that one of you is captain america and the other one wolverine?

[MikeisNissan]

How come that pictured evo above ^ doesnt have brembos?

[Antihero983]

Because it isn't an Evo, its a pussy Lancer Ralliart.

[Soup Nazi]

It's just a Lancer I believe

[VROOOM]

its a ralliart. it has 237hp 4b11t with a different turbo than the Evo and the AWD system of the Evo 9. only comes with the auto/dual clutch tranny.

no fender flares or brembos

also comes as a wagon
Ralliart Sportback
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/nismothecat/lancer-sportback-2-L.jpg

[ronmcdon]

I test drove a Ralliart Sportback few months ago (for the gf who only drives autos)
overpriced, definitely & perhaps underpowered relative to the competition.
It doesn't have the all-out performance of the Evo,

I wouldn't say it's a 'pussy-ass car'.
it does retain the response, steering & precision of one.
(which imo is THE reason you get an evo to begin with).
Gas mileage appeared to be more reasonable that the Evo.
I also wouldn't be too fixated on the lower power ratings,
as the 4B11 has been super responsive to power-making mods

Lease specials were like $2k down, $300/month for 36 months.
It wouldn't make such a terrible daily.

[VROOOM]

i test drove a Ralliart when i bought my Evo as well. it was alright. would be a great daily, but i couldnt pass up the Evo since it was only about 2k more(i got a great deal on my Evo).

[ZilviaKid]

Dude you need to check yourself. You were the one that got butt hurt and called him a fat ......... You were the one that made a comment without knowing what you were talking about.
When you got called on it with the slow comment, you went off. I don't think he is butt hurt at all. In fact I know he is not.

You on the other hand are tweaked and looking for a fight. Suggestion shut the fuck up. You got owned get over it.
nah i dont give a shit at all, i guess you cant convey sarcasm though text.

im just sick of all the canadian bashing on here for no reason, so every time i see it i call someone a fat redneck (thats your american stereotype)

[ronmcdon]

i test drove a Ralliart when i bought my Evo as well. it was alright. would be a great daily, but i couldnt pass up the Evo since it was only about 2k more(i got a great deal on my Evo).

it would have made more sense if they also sold the Ralliart @ Invoice
(Im guessing you went to South Coast Mitsu?).

[VROOOM]

yup, South Coast Mitsubishi is awesome.

[exitspeed]

The Ralliart isn't supposed to be an Evo though. It's Mitu's WRX.

The Ralliart Colt is pretty sick though.
http://i3.tinypic.com/1177ixc.jpg

[tricky_ab]

Damn knockoff companies....

This...When will people learn :(...Also the fact that they are out of WRC speed up the process...

[ZilviaKid]

now that COLT is pimp.

id buy that

[ManoNegra]

That Sportback looks nice.

[PRADOgy]

For example there is Toyota and its TRD, Then there is Toyota North America With with their own line of TRD parts.

Is it the same for this Ralliart? Is it only affecting the states and not the motherland of the company?

[PRADOgy]

The Ralliart isn't supposed to be an Evo though. It's Mitu's WRX.

The Ralliart Colt is pretty sick though.
http://i3.tinypic.com/1177ixc.jpg
Why can't they bring these little dope ass cars to the states =/

Iv always been a fan of little 1300cc turbo cars like the Honda Turbo II etc.

[exitspeed]

Is it the same for this Ralliart? Is it only affecting the states and not the motherland of the company?

Actually it's the other way around. It seems it'll have a bigger impact in Japan. They said the ralliart version of the cars here won't be effected. You just won't be able to buy, say a Ralliart STB.

[BOROSUN]

that's a sportback

this is a wagon
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XKgxaJJ8EJE

[TurboSE]

This is just my opinion...but I feel like a few companies are really dropping the ball on some of their sports cars. Maybe I'm just a purest, or old skool, or whatever you want to call it...but DSM's should have a turbo (option). I know the EVO is Mitsu's flagship sports car, but why can't they have two turbo cars in their line-up? I guess the various incarnations of the Lancer cover this,but what if you don't want a sedan?

I'm not just picking on Mitsu...Mazda's RX8 could use some boost...and please don't flame, the 350Z should have a factory turbo option. I know the GTR is an amazing car, but what about the guys that want factory performance and don't want to drop $90k?

Like I said, this is just my opinion and I know there is plenty of aftermarket for all these cars...what do you buy if you want a boosted coupe nowadays? A Hyundai Genesis?

[Brokenspacebar]

Holy shit! who would've thought...

[BOROSUN]

If you want to sell your master piece. Why would you sell cheaper imitations of it.?

[ZilviaKid]

If you want to sell your master piece. Why would you sell cheaper imitations of it.?
to make money?