From its earliest handmade vehicles to innovative designs that would inspire car manufacturers everywhere, Mitsubishi has had a rich 100-year history. It hasn’t always been easy, but the company persevered and the low points were well worth it for the high points. Let’s take a look at how Mitsubishi has progressed since its humble beginnings.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi made one of its first major contributions to the car engineering world when it designed the Silent Shaft Technology. The patents were licensed to Saab, Fiat, and Porsche. Four years later it created the first-ever turbo diesel engine with this technology. It was around this time that Mitsubishi made its debut in the American Market, when it released the Tredia, Cordia and Starion in 1982.
One year later the company introduced the groundbreaking 3000GT which featured advanced AWD suspension and smart, efficient aerodynamic styling. In 1991, Motor Trend Magazine called the 3000GT VR-4 the Import Car of the Year.
In 1996, Mitsubishi made another great contribution to automobile manufacturing by creating the first efficient Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. This successful engineering was followed by several remarkable milestones in the racing world, from the WRC Manufacturer's Championship in 1998 to the FTO-EV prototype breaking the Guinness World Record for the farthest distance traveled by an electric car.
However, it wasn’t until 2009 that after 40 years of development, the electric 2010 Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle launched its production worldwide. Later, the launch of the i-MiEV in 2012 earned it a ‘Greenest Vehicle of 2012’ award and paved the way for electric vehicles in the future. After having released the first ever plug-in hybrid SUV, the Outlander PHEV, Mitsubishi is celebrating its 100th anniversary by promising greener, more efficient electric vehicles over the next century.