After more than a century of growth and diversification, Mitsubishi expertise extends across a huge range of businesses. Among other things, you’ll find the familiar Mitsubishi diamonds identifying companies involved in electrical equipment, shipbuilding, heavy industry, steel, satellites and aircraft.

Being part of such a huge family of companies gives Mitsubishi Motors one of the widest technological bases to call on.

They all spring from the same parent however – the Mitsubishi shipping firm established in 1870.

The pattern of diversification began early and the company soon branched out into coalmining, shipbuilding, banking, insurance, warehousing, and trade.

The association with motor vehicles began as motoring was just starting to come of age, in 1917. That’s when Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched the Mitsubishi Model-A, one of the pioneers of Japanese mass-production passenger cars. A year later, the company moved into truck manufacturing in earnest.

Decades of innovation and development followed. In 1931, Mitsubishi developed Japan’s first diesel engine for motor vehicle use. Three years later, Mitsubishi built Japan’s first 4WD passenger vehicle. In the mid and late 1950s, Mitsubishi produced Japan’s first air-suspension truck and the first tilt cab.

Mitsubishi entered the modern passenger vehicle market in 1960 with a 500cc model that went on to take class honours in the 1962 Macau Grand Prix. That was to prove the start of a long and successful association with motorsport and rallying.

In 1965, Mitsubishi introduced Japan’s first fastback car, and in 1975 developed the world’s first ‘Silent Shaft’ technology. Other technology ‘firsts’ in following years included Japan’s first turbocharged diesel for passenger vehicles, the first totally integrated “Dynamic Four’ 4WD system and the first Traction Control System.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was set up as a stand-alone operation in 1970, around the time the first Mitsubishi vehicles - the popular 1.6L Colt Galants – began arriving in New Zealand.

This model’s high performance, engineering quality and advanced technology made a huge impact on a market accustomed to a stodgy diet of Australian and UK-sourced vehicles.