2017 is a very special year for Mitsubishi. 100 years ago, in 1917, Mitsubishi presented Japan's first passenger car, the Model A.
The pioneering story began with the Model A, Japan's first production car. The seven-seater sedan appeared with a 2.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 25 kW/34 hp. This enabled the car to reach speeds of 32 km/h. The prestigious body was made of lacquered cypress wood, and the closed shape protected the passengers from the rain and the dirt of the poorly developed Japanese roads of the time. By 1921, Mitsubishi had produced 22 examples of the Model A, the nucleus of its 100-year history.
17 years later, Mitsubishi presented the PX33, the world's first series-produced all-wheel-drive passenger car. It paved the way for a completely new vehicle category that has become an integral part of the roadscape today - the sports utility vehicle (SUV). In 1982, for example, this development resulted in the Pajero, a true icon that won the Paris-Dakar Rally twelve times.
With more than 80 years of SUV experience, Mitsubishi is now one of the world's leading SUV and all-wheel drive specialists. However, this pioneering role is not only reflected in off-road and all-wheel drive technology at an exceptionally early stage. It also manifests itself in a field of innovation that will completely change the next 100 years of the automobile: electric mobility. Mitsubishi developed the all-electric Minica EV back in 1971!
