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Over the past couple of years, we’ve noticed a trend that more and more performance cars are steering away from traditional manual transmissions in favor of high-tech dual-clutch setups. For 2008, the top-dollar Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR features a six-speed paddle-shift transmission, and while some of us would rather have a stick and a third pedal, there’s no denying that this tranny is really, really good. Still, at nearly $41,000, some of us would rather just stick with the softer Evo GSR, which has the same performance specs but at a lower cost.

(Click through the post to read our full notes on the Evo MR.)

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Mitsubishi Motors has just tipped its entry into the LA Auto Show Design Challenge for this year, and extraordinary conceptual rally car straight from the 2025 season.

The MMR25 concept makes use of a radical omnidirectional wheel design which uses eight independently controlled electric motors. The idea is that the wild wheels will be able to keep the vehicle moving on a forward path while pointing the nose in any direction that is called for. The net effect will be the ability to literally drive sideways, instead of just drifting like a modern rally car.

Naturally, the Mitsu rally car is all electrically powered, with fully recyclable batteries that are able to run for up to 1000 miles on a single charge. That may sound like a lot but we are talking about "uniform composite Nano fiber Lithium batteries" here - not your average Duracell.

And though the MM25 may look fairly badass from the outside, it sounds like kind of a terrifying proposition for the driver, who pilots the machine from the inside of a "windowless pod" somewhere below the center wing. This chamber of fear moves up and down with the wing as the MM25 goes about its business, feeding all of the visual information to the driver via a seamless 360 degree, prone to failure, panoramic display. And you thought today's rally drivers had stones.

Check out the full design brief below.

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Mitsubishi recently confirmed that it would bring the redesigned Colt to the Paris Motor Show after an advertising banner of the sub-compact was placed onto the company's website early last week as a teaser.

Judging from the pictures, the new Colt takes many design cues from the current Mitsubishi lineup. With sharp headlights and a trapezoidal grill, it looks very similar to the new Lancer but toned down slightly to match the Colt's smaller proportions. The sub-compact will be available in two different sizes: A three-door and a five-door, both having a squared off rear for larger cargo capacity. Though the engines that will power the new Colt is still to be determined, the current models have a selection of a 1.1-liter and 1.5-liter gasoline engine, along with a 1.5-liter DI-D diesel. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if these carry over to the new replacement.

+ Autoblog: Paris Preview: Mitsubishi inadvertently posts pics of Colt

Though perhaps a bit overwhelmed by the competition for attention at the show (who could forget the Suzuki X-Head?), Mitsubishi had high hopes for its Concept-ZT when it debuted the handsome sedan at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. So we were certainly surprised (and more than a little amused) when we picked up the latest issue of Autocar’s print magazine to read a short piece entitled, “Mitsubishi cancels 3-series rival.”

After recovering from the shock of hearing that Mitsubishi had planned on pitting the ZT against BMW’s finest, we came to find out that the Mitsu executives had recently come to the conclusion that the “business case” for the luxury sedan just wasn’t there—a decision that we’re sure they’ll be relieved to have made a few years down the road.

Mitsubishi is certainly capable of making fine automobiles, a fact gloriously illustrated by the stonking Evo X, but to step into the luxury sports market and take aim at one of its most revered players would have been a bit of a moon shot for the company. Which isn’t to say they won’t try it with another car…Tokyo 2009 here we come.

+ Autocar

Mitsubishi and its motorsports unit, MMSP, have developed a new rally car, the "Racing Lancer," which will be entered in the Baja Portalegre. Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart is furthering development of the Racing Lancer in hopes to win the Dakar rally in 2009.

Powering the Racing Lancer is a new turbocharged diesel engine which has previously been tested in the Pajero/Montero Ralliart cars. The design of the Racing Lancer has very subtle cues from the Lancer and Evolution, and features a hatchback arrangement from the Lancer Sportback.

The Racing Lancer will undergo further testing in Morocco throughout the next couple of months with each test covering approximately 4000 kilometers each time. When the car makes its official debut at the Baja Portalegre, it will be driven by successful Dakar racer Stéphane Peterhansel, who has a total of nine wins under his belt.

+ Mitsubishi

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We’re just back from a day of participation in what Mitsubishi called its Lancer Family Road Show, where the main event was our debut drive in the new center of the range, the 2009 Lancer Ralliart.

NextAutos readers who haven’t heard the Ralliart name since the variant’s 2004 debut in the U.S. could be forgiven for wondering why any driving enthusiast would get terribly worked up about the mid-range Lancer. But while the last generation car was little more than some suspension tweaks and vaguely sporting set of OZ wheels, the new-for-2009 car does a much better job of splitting the difference between the Lancer GTS sedan and the fire-breathing Evolution X.

Following the news that Tata will be making parts for the new Boeing 787 airliner and the development of Honda’s own Hondajet, the transition from the road to the sky continues.

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Make no mistake - this Mitsubishi Prototype S is no production Lancer wagon - but it's darn near close. Unveiled this morning at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the S is the closest thing we've seen yet to a real-life Lancer Evolution five-door.

For those excited about the upcoming Mitsubishi Lancer Prototype-S, here’s a video.

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Though we've already seen a fair bit of the upcoming Mitsubishi Prototype-S in front of its official unveiling on March 4 at the Geneva Motor Show, it seems that today the automaker felt the need to let loose with all the official images, and some specifications.

German webspace Autobild has gone ahead and seen fit to release these official-looking images of the Mitsubishi Prototype S before the car’s planned debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

Mitsubishi has returned from the dead letter pile of automotive sales and is once again selling sufficient cars to not only save face but also to make money. The Lancer, in its civilian form, is one of the reasons. Available in three trim levels—DE, ES, and GTS—the Lancer provides attractive transportation and, in the GTS version we drove recently in Arizona, enough fun to keep you smiling on your daily commute.