Motor Trend Test: New Sti

base evo was 35K

Well guys & gals, the time has finally come for some juicy info to be placed on the table before you.

I just came back from a meeting at the dealership and got a chance to see some interesting information on the all new 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Mind you, these were all confidential documents, so I was not allowed to take any documentation with me. What I am posting below are the facts that were given that I took notes on:

  1. The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will come to the U.S. in two trimlines: The GSR & the MR.
    A. The GSR will only be available in a 5 speed manual gearbox.
    B. The GSR will come in one of two ways: Base A00 package and a ‘sight, sound & wing’ A04 package.
    a. The GSR will be available in 5 colors:
    i. Wicked White
    ii. Cool Silver
    iii. Rally Red
    iv. Graphite Gray
    v. A GSR-only Octane Blue (which replaces Electric Blue and is not as metallic)
    b. The A00 package GSR will come with halogen headlamps and the MSRP is priced at $35,000~
    c. The A04 ‘SSW’ package will add on HIDs, a 650 Rockford sound system and the rear wing spoiler. No detail on cost.
    C. The MR will only be available in a TC-SST transmission.
    D. The MR will come in one of two ways: Base A06 package and an ‘luxury’ A11 package.
    a. The MR will be available in 5 colors:
    i. Wicked White
    ii. Cool Silver
    iii. Rally Red
    iv. Graphite Gray
    v. An MR-only Phantom Black (which replaces Tarmac Black and has gold metallic flake in it)
    b. The A06 package MR will come with HIDs, color coded trimmings and upgraded wheels, suspension and rear wing & starts at $40,000~
    c. The A11 ‘luxury’ package will include a 30GB HDD MMCS Navigation system, FAST key, bluetooth, cruise control, climate control, etc…

Mitsubishi is looking for the sales leader to be the ‘SSW’ GSR. They are also looking at the median household income of a GSR buyer to be around $90k and the MR buyer to be around $112k.