In a public statement this morning, president of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Osamu Masuko admitted that Mitsubishi is working on the eleventh iteration of the legendary hot saloon.

He said "After the disappointment of the Evolution X and the lacklustre sales of Mitsubishi worldwide, we realised we needed our flagship back and that it was wrong of us to change everything so right about a car like the Evolution. We had to go back to the drawing board for a long time and we think that we have created a very special car in the Evolution XI. We extensively tested all classic Evolution variants to judge what made them so special and partnered up with Tommi Mäkinen, who is still helping develop the chassis."

Although it seems that the Evolution XI is going back to it's roots, Masuko also said that he is very excited about the new technologies being incorporated into the car "We are using a KERS system, but this has been developed specifically for the Evolution XI and when engaged only works above 5000rpm, giving an extra 100 PS at the top end for acceleration. What this has allowed our engineers to do is downsize the engine to 1.6 litres and focus on low and mid-range torque and better fuel economy. The development engines have made up to 300 PS in testing and , with the KERS engaged, acceleration times are as fast as a 911 Turbo. It is a very fast car." When asked about the weight of the XI, a major point of concern with the X, he replied "We have used more aluminium and carbon fibre in the construction of the car, meaning that the final weight shall be no more than 1400 Kilograms." He also explained that the light weight and downsized engine should yield 35 Mpg EU on the combined cycle.

A question Masuko struggled with was an exact release date of the Evolution XI. He confirmed that a concept will appear at Frankfurt this year, but cannot confirm a release date for the Evolution XI, saying "Before 2014, hopefully."
From Autoloof.com