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| Quick. Pop quiz. Who was Japan's first mass-production automaker? The picture on the right probably gave it away, but that's right: Mitsubishi Motors. We may not have started selling vehicles in the United States until 1981, but we kept ourselves pretty busy before then. We produced the first Model A, way back in 1917. The 500? The Colt? The Debonair? We made all of those for the Japanese market back in the 1960's. That's why Chrysler tapped Mitsubishi way back in 1971 to help provide small, fuel-efficient cars for the U.S. market. The Mitsubishi manufactured Colt compact and the Ram 50 pickup—sold here under the Dodge brand—were quite the gas-crunch-fighting tag team. Their success helped pave the way for us to officially open up shop. So it was that in September 1981, we rolled out the 1983 model-year lineup, our first in the U.S. market. | |  |
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| The names might’ve sounded strange at first—Cordia, Tredia, Starion, Montero and Mighty Max—but it didn’t take long for people to figure out what they stood for. The turbocharged four-cylinder Starion was an immediate winner with gearheads. A lightweight sports car with turbocharged power? Yes, please. This vehicle was the mechanical precursor of an entire automotive subculture. But sporty wasn’t the only show in town. While Starion was out carving corners, the Mighty Max pickup and the first-generation Montero SUV were busy load hauling and rock crawling their way into the public consciousness. All told, we sold 5,000 cars that first year; and 83 dealers in 20 states helped us do it. | |  |
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| The compact Mirage and midsize Galant came on the scene with a bang. Lightweight and with turbocharged power, Mirage turbo came out of the crate ready to throw down with anything. And so it was that the Japanese “hot hatch” was born. But Mirage wasn’t the only one in the family with some ambition. By 1988, Galant VR-4 was competing in the World Rally Championship and the secret was out: Mitsubishi built some pretty fast cars. It took a couple of years for the press to take notice, but validation came in 1989 when Mirage turbo made Car and Driver’s 10 Best List and Galant GS was named Motor Trend Import Car of the year. | |  |
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| Robots. Later, the story would be about the robots. But in April, 1986—when ground was broken in Normal, Illinois—the story was still about partnership. The Diamond Star Motors facility was the spanking-new centerpiece of the long union between Chrysler and Mitsubishi. It was also the most advanced automotive manufacturing facility in North America. That’s where the robots come in. And the robots stayed pretty busy, building vehicles for both manufacturers in the 1.9-million-square-foot factory. Right alongside the Eclipse, they helped build its Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser siblings. Now wholly owned by Mitsubishi and approaching the 3,000,000-vehicle milestone, these days the robots keep themselves busy producing the Mitsubishi Galant, Eclipse and Endeavor. | |  |
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| While Mitsubishi’s renowned concept vehicles may not be the most well-known product of Cypress, California—that honor probably goes to a certain major-championship-dominating golfer—they are among the most visually stunning. In 1988, when Mitsubishi opened its new 25.5-acre headquarters in Cypress, the MRDA design center was one of the most important components. And the award-winning crew there penned the shape for the very first Eclipse and each of the three generations to follow. Most recently, they were responsible for the new Eclipse coupe and Eclipse Spyder. | |  |
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| An icon is born. Cue the instant acclaim. Ditto on the critical recognition. Eclipse made the scene famously when it was introduced back in ’89. A 1990 model, the Eclipse turbo was immediately named to the Car and Driver 10 Best list, where it would stay for four straight years. What nobody—not even Car and Driver—realized? That the cult of Eclipse would be one of the automotive stories of the decade. The Eclipse’s soon-to-be legendary 4G63 engine code became the secret code of tuner dreams everywhere. Powerful in stock trim with 190 horsepower, this motor was extremely buildable and almost unbreakable. And for a whole new generation of hot rodders, Eclipse became the sled to have. | |  |
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| Supercar showdown dead ahead. Back in 1991, all the major players in the Japanese auto industry wanted in. The requirements? Loads of technology and insane performance. Not one to back down from a good fight, Mitsubishi introduced the 3000GT. Tour de force indeed. The force came from the VR-4 version’s twin-turbocharged 300-horse V6. Putting this pavement-peeling power down was a unique all-wheel drive system that also featured all-wheel steering. But wait, there’s more. Electronically controlled suspension componentry, cockpit-tunable exhaust and active aerodynamics made even the skeptics happy. Motor Trend took note. They made the 3000GT their Import Car of the Year for 1991. | |  |
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So. Which sounds tougher to you? Racing around and around on a big, paved oval as smooth as a pool table, or racing halfway across Africa on nonexistent roads? Ask Hubert Auriol. Back in 1992, he won the Dakar Rally in a racing version of Mitsubishi’s then-new, second-generation Montero. It was the second time we’d won, but that was just the beginning. We’d snatch nine more wins in the next fifteen years. Yep. Domination. But the domination didn’t stop there. The new Montero—now sporting the revolutionary Active-Trac system—was gaining plenty of traction in the marketplace too. But Montero wasn’t the only one kicking up some dust. Lancer Evolution hit the Japanese scene hard in 1992. And by early 1993 it was shredding backroads of its own on the World Rally Championship stage. Born from three decades of rallying experience, these two vehicles would reshape the face of international rally racing. A lot of car makers love to talk about their racing heritage. We very politely invite them to “take it outside”. | |  |
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| So, it wasn’t enough that we built one of the most technologically advanced coupes of the 1990s. We had to go and try to make it into something that hadn’t been built since 1957: a retractable hardtop convertible. But we did it. One button and 30 seconds. That’s all it took to go from coupe to convertible. Other car makers took note. Within a couple of years, a whole gang of other companies’ retractables were prowling the boulevards. We’re not saying they stole our idea or anything. After all, Ford came out with the king-of-the-drive-in Fairlane Skyliner way back in ’57. But as it turned out, the 3000GT VR4 Spyder may have provided a bit of inspiration. Within a decade, there would be a half dozen other entries in the category. So, here’s to you, 3000GT VR4 Spyder: you inspired imitation the way only a 320-horsepower retractable hardtop can. | |  |
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Tommi Makinen and Lancer Evolution became the combo to beat on the World Rally Championship (WRC) stage. The Flying Finn bagged the first of his four consecutive driver’s titles in 1996. That’s right, a “four-peat”. That’s pretty much total domination. Now count how many examples of a four-peat you can think of in any sport. It’s a pretty small club, right? Mostly populated by legends, no? Hall-of-fame inductions and bronze statues to follow, right? Well, put Lancer Evolution and Tommi Makinen in that club. Four years of championships and you earn the right to be there. But starting an unparalleled streak of rally championships wasn’t the only thing we were doing back in ’96. We also unveiled a topless version of the Eclipse—the Eclipse Spyder. This gave the 3000GT an affordable younger sibling. And just like the bigger Spyder, in GS-t trim Eclipse Spyder was a real burner. | |  |
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| The SST concept car fueled the buzz. And the new Eclipse backed it up, wearing a new geo-mechanical skin and packing a 3.0-liter V6. Sure, the third-generation Eclipse came into the world turning heads and filling showrooms, but it wasn’t the only Eclipse making noise. A modified neon-green generation-two Eclipse was pumping up the volume on the big screen. Vin who? We think the real star of the hit movie The Fast and the Furious was the modded Mitsubishi. And tuner culture was officially on the big pop-culture map, with Eclipse front and center. | |  |
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In the States it was still a murky urban myth. Just another Porsche killer that was only available on other continents. The unlikely giant slayer of racing-video-game fame. The international rally crusher. But everything changed in 2003. Lancer Evolution finally came stateside. And for gearheads, it was like the Beatles touching down at JFK in 1964. People had been waiting years to get their hands on an “Evo”. For daily commuters and track-day assassins alike, it was the name on everyone’s lips. And it didn’t take long for Sport Compact Car gave it the ultimate accolade, going so far as to name the Lancer Evolution the greatest sport compact car of all time in their list of the top 100. The current Lancer Evolution produces a whopping 286 horsepower from its turbocharged, intercooled two-liter mill. That’s the highest output per liter of any production four-cylinder engine. Yes, even including motorcycles. All this power gets thrown down with four-wheel drive, via Mitsubishi’s competition-proven active center differential. At racetracks and on the street, Lancer Evolution has fueled one of the most fervent automotive cults in history for a reason. | |  |
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| The all-new Galant was introduced. And it had some new clothes. Wearing new geo-mechanical sheet metal like its brethren, Endeavor and Eclipse, this Galant was built to be different. And with a powerful 3.8-liter V6 and a host of other features available it raised some eyebrows. But the eyebrows are really gonna start popping when the new Galant Ralliart drops in 2007. With a 258 MIVEC-infused horses and a body to match, boring sedans everywhere are officially going to be put on notice. | |  |
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| The MRDA designers must’ve had a lot of late nights. But those coffee-fueled musing produced some major results. First the Eclipse Concept-E dropped. The concept was masterful, but how much of it would make it to the production version? For a year, Eclipse lovers crossed their fingers and waited. In the spring of 2005, they could finally uncross them. The new Eclipse was revealed to an enthusiastic response. Sexy curves? Check. Big power? Check. Priced competitively? Of course. Affordable and exotic. Just like the guys in the lab coats drew it up. | |  |
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| 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the first Mitsubishi-badged vehicles sold in the United States. In recognition of our landmark year, Mitsubishi honored 10 dealers nationwide for their 25 years of customer service and loyal support representing the Mitsubishi Motors brand. Building on the successful launch of the redesigned 2008 Lancer in spring 2007, Mitsubishi recently unveiled an all-new Lancer family of vehicles, which includes the 2009 Lancer Ralliart and the highly anticipated Lancer Evolution, soon to hit showroom floors. The 2008 high-performance Lancer Evolution delivers the next level of sporty dynamics and class-up value enthusiasts have grown to expect from Mitsubishi, while the 2009 Lancer Ralliart bridges the gap between the Lancer and the Evolution, offering a sporty driving experience while providing a smooth, stealthy ride in curvy or rough terrain. We also introduced the all-new Outlander 2.4, setting a company benchmark for value and versatility in the crossover SUV class. With the introduction of the new 2009 Galant around the corner, our recently-introduced advertising theme, "It's Go Time!" captures the unprecedented excitement Mitsubishi Motors has created this year. The theme also encapsulates our rally-inspired heritage, which serves as the cornerstone of our design, direction and culture. We are proud of our continued momentum in the American market, and we look forward to even greater success in 2008 and beyond. | |  |
