Well, I don't buy that Mitsu didn't bring the car over cause we can't drive. There are still plenty of high HP cars being put out that young kids can get before the Evo came here.
Then there's the long track record of companies putting out cars they know are unsafe but they want to make a fast buck and sell them anyway, but that's probably more a domestic problem vs imports(i.e. see every other car Ford makes).
Remember, until the WRX came out not everybody thought there was a market for sport cars let alone sedans with turbo's and AWD. The RX7 was gone, the Supra, the 300zx, Eclipse Turbo, heck even the domestic staples the Camaro/Firebird were toast. Only the Mustang survived and that's cause it's cheap and comfortable for the money, even the Cobra. The WRX proved them wrong, and that coupled with the rise of the import/aftermarket turbo scene made the companies realize there was a demand for HP, AWD and turbo's.
As soon as Mitsubishi saw the success of the WRX they cashed in as quick as they could. Now turbo's are on the rise again, just see the Neon turbo, PT turbo, Mazda Speed Protege, VW 1.8 turbo's. Now if Ford would jump on the band wagon and sell the Focus RS in the US, or make a model of the Mustang with a 2.3L turbo like the SVOs of old and now we're talkin.