With that, the 2001 opening rally of the World Rally Championship (WRC) was held. Tommi Mäkinen won the Monte Carlo Rally for the third time in a row with the Group A spec LANCER EVOLUTION VI. This was a version that partially applied the WR car regulations and which eventually will be called the “Evo 6.5” around the world. At the second round, Rally Sweden, Thomas Rådström of Sweden, was playing at home and brought the MITSUBSHI car he drove for the first time into second place. Mäkinen won again in the third round, Rally Portugal, in spite of the rough, muddy conditions. With the adoption of only two improvements, the Group A LANCER EVOLUTION came back to life. The progress continued further. In the fourth round, Rally Catalunya, Mäkinen overcame an earlier gearbox trouble and caught up fiercely in the second half and to end up taking the third place. He also finished fourth in round five, Rally Argentina, and won round eight, the Safari Rally, with a perfect driving pace. He continued to lead the championship standings.

In October, MITSUBISHI MOTORS' first WR car, the LANCER EVOLUTION WRC, made its debut at the Rally Sanremo as originally planned. This vehicle, which attracted great attention, made use of the freedom provided for by the WR car regulations for the main components of the engine and drive system. However, MITSUBISHI MOTORS was forced to give up on developing it fundamentally in accordance with WR car regulations due to time constraints. The same was true for the body of this car, and the LANCER EVOLUTION WRC took part in four rallies in the second half of the season, but not without experiencing setbacks. Mäkinen was able to finish only once during this period and suffered a major crash during the 12th round, Tour de Corse. Still, Mäkinen managed to finish third in the Drivers' championship rankings. Most of the points were earned by the Group A LANCER EVOLUTION, once again showing the strength of the Group A rally car, which has won five World Drivers and Manufacturers' titles.