How Mitsubishi’s Lancer heritage shapes today’s award-winning lineup

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was a rally legend and quickly developed a cult-like following among driving enthusiasts. It was the 10th and final generation that landed on Canadian soil in 2007, offering auto enthusiasts in this country a four-door economy sedan whose performance almost defied belief. The final Lancer Evolution was sold until 2015, marking the end of the line for one of the greatest performance sedans the world had ever seen.

Before the Lancer Evolution, or “Evo” as it’s commonly referred, was homologated for Group A racing in 1993, its predecessor the Galant VR-4 laid the foundation and introduced a computerized all-wheel drive system in 1988 that incorporated four-wheel steering, four-wheel ABS and four-wheel independent suspension, governed by an electronic brain. It was truly state-of-the-art technology that hadn’t been done before.


The technology would see further evolution (no pun intended) through each successive Evo generation. In 2007, it was given the name Super All-Wheel Control or S-AWC. The latest iteration of it can be found in today’s Mitsubishi Outlander, Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross.

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One of the key people behind this technology was and still is Kaoru Sawase, an engineering fellow with Mitsubishi Motors in Japan. Known in the Mitsubishi community as the Godfather of S-AWC, his first project when he joined the company in 1988 was the Galant VR-4. He became interested in all-wheel drive technology after a near-death experience on a snowy mountain road as a young student. Being able to work on the technology at Mitsubishi was a dream come true for him and he was particularly interested in applying the technology to rally racing.

After studying the advanced all-wheel drive systems from the Porsche 959 and Nissan GT-R, Sawase came up with a version adapted to a front-wheel drive platform, but also one that had improved upon what Porsche and Nissan had designed. The result was an electronically controlled centre differential all-wheel drive system that ended up bringing Mitsubishi much success in rally racing.

When the Lancer Evolution I debuted in 1992, it used the famous 4G63 engine and all-wheel drive system from the Galant VR-4. The lighter and more nimble Lancer was a veritable rocket ship with ferocious acceleration and a top speed of 228 km/h, figures that are quick today let alone 30 years ago.

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Driven by Tommi Mäkinen, the Lancer Evolution was an unstoppable force in the World Rally Championship (WRC) during the mid to late ’90s. In 1996, the Lancer Evolution IV gained Active Yaw Control (AYC), also developed by Sawase. AYC was an ingenious new system that was capable of transferring drive torque laterally between the rear wheels. Before AYC, torque could only be transferred from the rear axle to the front or vice versa. AYC was also controlled fully electronically and required no input from the driver.

The Lancer Evolution was no harder to drive than any other car, yet had abilities far beyond the average compact sedan. There’s a famous scene in BBC’s Top Gear where host Jeremy Clarkson has no trouble keeping up with a $340,000 Lamborghini that also used an advanced all-wheel drive system. The humble little Lancer was given the abilities of a supercar and that was thanks in no small part to Sawase’s ingenious invention.

Active Yaw Control was the world’s first example of torque vectoring as it is more commonly known today in the industry. By being able to finely control how much torque gets delivered to each rear wheel, it can actively help a car corner faster, great for motorsport but even better for traction in slippery conditions. Sawase knew all-wheel drive was good for performance, but he also wanted to make passenger cars safer and easier to drive.

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The Evolution VIII was the first generation to make it to the United States but still not Canada due to regulatory issues. The Subaru Impreza WRX, the Lancer’s direct rival, had gone on sale there the year prior and quickly became a success. It wouldn’t be until the Evolution X went on sale in 2007 that Canadians would finally be able to walk into a Mitsubishi dealer and buy one. The last Lancer Evolution was sold here in 2014 and the Lancer nameplate was discontinued in 2016.


However, that racing heritage and Sawase’s dedication to S-AWC lives on. The current generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV employs the most-modern rendition of this technology using electric motors and no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles. While the hardware is completely different, the principles by which the system works are directly connected to the one employed in the Lancer Evolution.

Mitsubishi pulled out of the WRC in 2010, two years after arch-rival Subaru did the same. Sawase still fondly remembers the glory days of the Lancer Evo and he holds out hope that Mitsubishi might one day return to the sport.

Two years ago, the company entered its Triton pickup truck in the Asian Cross Country Rally held near Thailand and won, proving they still have what it takes to compete. Mitsubishi competed again in 2023 and recently announced it would return for the 2024 edition, this time with its new-generation, more powerful rally-prepared Triton.

Mitsubishi has turned its focus towards crossovers, SUVs and electrified vehicles as the market shifts away from sedans, but all-wheel drive systems like the ones employed in a new Mitsubishi benefit greatly from Sawase's engineering expertise. Technologies found in Super All-Wheel Control such as Active Yaw Control not only increase performance, but have also made vehicles safer and easier to control during bad weather.

With the majority of Canadians buying all-wheel drive vehicles today, it’s refreshing to learn about the pedigree behind Mitsubishi’s S-AWC system. While the Lancer might no longer be in production, its winning spirit still burns brightly within the company.