The Mitsubishi company was established as a shipping firm by Iwasaki Yatarō  in 1870 under the name "Tsukumo Shokai.  In 1873, its name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai: "mitsu", meaning "three" (as in the three oak leaves from the crest of the Yamauchi or Tosa family that ruled over Yatarō's birthplace and employed him) and "hishi", which becomes "bishi" under rendaku) meaning "water caltrop", and hence "rhombus", which is reflected in the company's logo. It is also translated as "three diamonds".

In 1934, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding was merged with the Mitsubishi Aircraft Co., a company established in 1920 to manufacture aircraft engines and other parts. The unified company was known as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and was the largest private company in Japan. MHI concentrated on manufacturing aircraft, ships, railroad cars and machinery, but in 1937 developed the PX33, a prototype sedan for military use. It was the first Japanese-built passenger car with full-time four-wheel drive, a technology the company would return to almost 50 years later in its quest for motorsport and sales success.

Earlie 60s Mitsubishi introduced the Mitsubishi 500, a mass-market sedan, to meet the new demand from consumers. It followed this in 1962 with the Minica kei car and the Colt 1000, the first of its Colt line of family cars, in 1963. In 1964, Mitsubishi introduced its largest passenger sedan, the Mitsubishi Debonair as a luxury car primarily for the Japanese market, and was used by senior Mitsubishi executives as a company car.

 

Headquarters  Tokyo Japan

v20 lwb 1991-1999

The Mitsubishi Pajero is a full-size SUV (sport utility vehicle) manufactured and marketed globally by Mitsubishi over four generations — introduced in 1981 and discontinued in 2021.

The Pajero nameplate derives from Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas cat. Mitsubishi marketed the SUV as the Montero in North America, Spain, and Latin America (except for Brazil and Jamaica) due to the term "pajero" being derogatory (meaning "wanker") in Spanish. In the United Kingdom, it was known as the Shogun, named after the Japanese word for "General."

Mitsubishi redesigned the Pajeros for a second generation, which debuted in January 1991, although exports did not commence until later in the year. Just about everything was now new and further enhanced.

The available engines included a 3.0-litre 12-valve SOHC V6 (6G72) with ECI-Multi electronic fuel injection and a 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine (4D56T) with an intercooler.

The second generation also saw the introduction of Super Select 4WD (SS4) [known as Active Trac 4WD in some markets], Multi-Mode ABS and electronic shock absorbers which were firsts on Japanese four-wheel drives. SS4 was ground-breaking in the sense that it combined the advantages of part-time and full-time four-wheel drive with four available options.

The second generation Pajero was discontinued in 1999 (with the exceptions mentioned under Production), and replaced by a new-generation Pajero. 

Mitsubishi Pajero (youtube.com)

1870-1873

1873-1914

1914-1964

1964-1985

1985-now