History

• Mitsubishi quickly established itself as an innovator within the Japanese automotive industry in the first half of the 20th century with the development of, among other things, an electric bus and trucks built with air suspension systems. Vehicles such as the Mitsubishi 500, a saloon car, and the more compact Minica arrived in the 1960s in Japan. By 1970, the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) had been formed, and in 1971 the company began to manufacture vehicles for the U.S. market. A range of models, sold under the Mitsubishi name, then arrived in the country in 1981.
  
  

Models

• When Mitsubishi first launched in the United States in the 1980s, some of the models in the range included the four-cylinder Starion and the pick-up vehicle, the Mighty Max. Later, the Eclipse, a design still manufactured in its latest incarnations in 2011, proved formidable with its powerful 4G63 engine upon its 1989 release. In 2011, the Mitsubishi range includes the latest versions of vehicles which have been very popular over the years. Among these are the Colt Lancer, Mitsubishi Mirage and the Outlander.
  
  

Awards

• Mitsubishi has picked up motoring awards and accolades in several different fields. Two of the brand's most popular models, the Galant and the Colt Lancer, have achieved success in rallying competitions, while the 2007 Dakar Rally marked the 12th time a Mitsubishi vehicle has won the race. Specific Mitsubishi models have been honored across the world, including the Shogun, which won 4x4 Of The Year in several European countries, and the L200, which won the American Pick-up Of The Year award in 1979.
  
  

Competitors

• Mitsubishi's competitors include many of the big names in the automotive industry, such as Nissan, Ford and Toyota, with each of the brand's primary models facing its own rivals. For example, in 2011, the Mitsubishi Outlander competes with models such as the Jeep Patriot and the Honda Element, while the Mitsubishi Lancer shares a marketplace with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf.