CYPRESS, Calif. – As the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), the fastest-growing Asian brand in the U.S. for the second consecutive year*, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 1999 FIA World Rally Drivers' Championship. In a season where the production-based Group A cars were at their peak of performance, and competition between manufacturers fierce, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI outperformed the competition, with driver Tommi Makinen claiming four overall wins on his way to the world championship.

Makinen is recognized as one of the most successful WRC drivers of all-time, highlighted by his four-time World Rally Champion title. He first won the series in 1996, then successfully defended the title three consecutive years (1997-1999) behind the wheel of the Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. During one of the greatest stretches of performance dominance in the series, he helped Mitsubishi claim the 1998 World Constructor's title.

Because the hallmark of a company with a clear vision of its road forward is its confidence to look back, Mitsubishi is celebrating the brand's innovation and ambition that led to the 1999 Championship. While the brand has pivoted and pushed forward in a new direction, Mitsubishi's deep-rooted performance DNA still plays an incremental role in shaping future product.

The Super All-Wheel Control system found on the Mitsubishi Outlander, Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross, is a specialized application of the Lancer Evolution system which made a name for itself, and proved its superior capabilities, on the grueling and relentless rally circuit.

New vehicles, such as the e-Evolution concept, which made its North American debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show and the Engelberg Tourer unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, take these technologies from Mitsubishi's past and apply them to today's and tomorrow's vehicles for the modern consumer. These vehicles are far more than just concept cars; they embody what the brand will become, what Mitsubishi will stand for, and the type of vehicles customers will see in the very near future.

With over a century of innovation behind the brand, a growing sales momentum in the market, and new opportunities ahead as a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Mitsubishi's future demands attention.

*Based on Motor Intelligence CY2017 and CY2018 Sales by Manufacturer data. Excludes premium brands.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
Through a network of approximately 355 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, research and development, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U. S. 2018 marked the brand's sixth consecutive year of sales growth.

Located in Cypress, Calif., MMNA is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the largest automaker alliance in the world. Mitsubishi continues to lead the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles, while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery-electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

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