17 Things You Never Knew About Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi has been building cars of all kinds for over a century now, having established a long history of engineering advances.
Most movie fans probably think that Mitsubishi is a Japanese car company specializing in little road racers, thanks largely to the company's many appearances in the Fast and Furious films. But Mitsubishi has been building cars of all kinds for over a century now, having established a long history of engineering advances, motorsport success, and international dominance.


The United States may actually be one country where Mitsubishi has less of a sterling reputation than in other nations. But Mitsu is pretty ubiquitous across the globe, not just building cars, trucks, and SUVs but also branching out across many industries from energy to tech and even security.

But the company's underrated success in the automotive field remains pretty impressive. Keep scrolling for 17 surprising things you never knew about Mitsubishi.

17. Three Water Chestnuts

Many automotive brands are named after people, with logos that are the result of clever designers—who put the founder's names in a blue oval, for example. But Mitsubishi's logo is something like a geometric design that most drivers probably don't understand. However, 'Mitsubishi' translated to English means "three water chestnuts," which explains the logo.

16. Silent Shaft Engine

These days, the inline-four engine might be the most common layout in the world, especially as turbochargers have become an increasingly popular means of boosting both power and efficiency. But the inline-four engine wouldn't work well without an invention that was pioneered by Mitsubishi: the balance shaft. Originally called the 'Silent Shaft,' the design was then licensed to Porsche, Saab, and Fiat.

15. First Mitsu In The US

While the most popular Mitsubishi rebadge sold in the US, and certainly the most well-known, might by the Mighty Max which went by the Dodge Power Ram 50 moniker, the first Mitsubishi product ever to reach these shores was also a Dodge. The Dodge Colt was actually an early Lancer sold under the Dodge name.

14. The Mitsubishi Name Introduced

Mitsubishi recognized, however, that the company couldn't just depend on rebadging to break into the massive American automotive market. But the decision might have taken a little longer than would have been ideal, as the first Mitsubishis hit the United States almost a decade after the Dodge Colt, in 1982.

13. Jackie Chan Loves Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Lancer and Eclipses may have skyrocketed in popularity thanks to the Fast and Furious films, where the cars are highly modded, tuned road racers, but the company has another solid Hollywood star on its side: Jackie Chan. Chan uses Mitsubishis in almost all of his movies, though only superfans would ever have noticed.

12. Guinness World Record Holder

Mitsubishi has been a pioneer in the automotive industry for over a century, with the Model A being Japan's first home-grown car and advances like the Silent Shaft invention. But Mitsubishi also holds the world record for the first electric vehicle to reach 10,000 units sold, the cute little i-MiEV city car.

11. Electric Research

Part of the reason Mitsubishi has been able to achieve success with its electric vehicles comes down, no doubt, to the fact that the company has so many other interests besides cars. Mitsubishi has subsidiaries that build AC units, elevators and escalators, solar panels, and more—and began working on its first electric vehicle all the way back in 1970.

10. MiEV Evo III At Pikes Peak

With five decades of development on electric vehicles, Mitsubishi has earned some serious success. One example of the company's combination of motorsport and pioneering technology coming together is the MiEV EVO III, an electric racecar that competed at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2014 and took first and second place in the electric class.

9. 12 Paris To Dakar Wins

Hopefully, Mitsubishi can continue with the rally success that has laid the foundation for the company's advances in design and engineering. Though the Lancer was almost completely shelved in 2017, the Pajero continues to this day, and with a stunning 12 Dakar Rally wins, including seven consecutive and almost twice as many stage wins as the nearest competitor, the Pajero looks set for life.

8. Galant VR-4 Electronically Controlled Suspension

Alongside the Lancer, Mitsubishi's other rally-racing sedan is the Galant, which was also sold in the United States. The nifty little four-door looks great but is also highly technically advanced, especially in the highest-spec VR-4 trim. In fact, the Galant VR-4 was the first road-going car to use electronically controlled suspension.

7. Pajero Rally Success

While gearheads in the United States might love Mitsubishi for the Lancer and Eclipse sports cars, the rest of the world better knows the brand for its rally success with the legendary Pajero. Sold in the US under the Montero nameplate, the Pajero's dominance at races like Paris to Dakar is unbelievable, including a top-four finish in 1998.

6. The Pajero Evo

While the Monteros that most people see—or, more accurately, basically ignore—on the roads of the United States just look like average SUVs, they're really so much more. But the best Montero iteration has to be the Pajero Evo, which was not sold in America. Like the Lancer Evo, the Pajero Evo is a homologation special built to wild standards much like the actual rally racers.

5. International Dominance

Mitsubishi might not be a top-seller in the US, though it sure has some diehard fans who love their Lancers and Eclipses more than, specifically, any Subaru owner ever could. But the brand is really a rest-of-world success, successfully selling vehicles in over 160 countries, according to the Mitsubishi website, making the company the world's 16th-largest automotive brand.

4. Lancer Rally Success

Of course, for those Mitsu fanboys who believe their Lancers are way better than anything Subaru has ever produced, the rally history pretty much backs up their claims. The Lancer was built all the way back in 1973 when it raced in Africa and earned the nickname "King of Cars." In the ensuing years, the Lancer would continuously evolve and consistently remain at or near the top of the rally heap.

3. Tommi Makinen Edition

Perhaps the most sought-after version of the Mitsubishi Lancer is the Tommi Makinen Edition, which is a reference to the eponymous rally driver. While Makinen himself doesn't own one of these cars, this is a limited run of upgraded Evo Lancers that includes details like white wheels and an upgraded turbo, among others.

2. Mitsubishi Mighty Max

Mitsubishi is one of many Asian car manufacturers to have partnered with American automakers over the years for some rebadging sales efforts. Perhaps Mitsubishi's most prominent rebadge sold in the United States is the Mighty Max, which was a small pickup truck labelled as the Dodge Power Ram 50 for these shores.

1. The Other Model A

Many people mistakenly believe that Henry Ford invented the automobile, when in fact that honour goes to Karl Benz (yes, that Benz) and Ford just used the assembly line to cut costs and make cars available to the masses. But as famous as Ford's Model T might be, the Mitsubishi Model A is legendary as the first car built in Japan by the company that would evolve into Mitsubishi.



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