Mitsubishi is Dakar
Mitsubishi Motors first entered the Dakar Rally in 1983, when Andrew Cowan and the late Colin Malkin finished eleventh overall in their Pajero. The beginning of the Japanese manufacturer’s dominance on the world’s greatest off-road rally had begun. A trio of Pajeros began the 1985 Dakar and Frenchman Zaniroli gave the team the first of its record-breaking 12 victories. The Mitsubishi team have not been beaten on the gruelling African terrain since the Millennium.
25 years of Pajero.
The fourth-generation, all-round SUV was launched in October 2006. This coincided with Pajero’s 25th anniversary and its milestone 2.5 million production mark. Launched in 1982, the fifth generation Pajero continues today to be the benchmark for 4x4 technology and refinement. In 2007, Pajero has taken part in the gruelling Dakar Rally for its 25th year.
70 years of 4x4.
The first Japanese 4WD passenger car, the PX33, was produced in 1936. It was a landmark both for Mitsubishi Motors and for the automobile industry. In 1953, the company signed an agreement with Willys Overland Corporation to build their famed Jeep (CJ3) under license in Japan. Mitsubishi Motors foresaw the demand for more civilized and trendier off road vehicles, testing the water with several concept cars from 1969 onwards until the definitive Pajero was unveiled in 1982. This first-generation Pajero (dubbed “SJ”) started a new chapter in cross-country travel, setting the trend for lifestyle-oriented SUVs.
