What did the Delica give rise to?

It has now been 55 years since the birth of the Delica. There are few cars in Japan that have been continuously sold under the same name for more than 50 years. Here, we will look at how Delica has evolved over the years to become a long-time favorite of so many people, and how it has retained its unique character.

1994 saw the launch of the 4th generation "Delica Space Gear." The name was chosen to encourage people to use the vehicle as if it were gear — that is, a kind of tool — and to develop a sense of attachment to it as a partner. Originally, the engine had been located under the front seats, but this model adopted a front-engine layout, with the engine housed in the nose just like in a general passenger vehicle, greatly improving safety in frontal impacts. In addition, the interior has a flat floor from the feet of the front seats to the rear end of the luggage area, and can be walked through from the front seats to the rear seats, improving both safety and comfort.

The design of the fourth generation also combines a ladder frame and a monocoque body. In addition to ensuring high stiffness comparable to that of a ladder frame, the monocoque body acts as a crumple zone (the front and rear parts of the body are designed to crumple easily, thereby protecting the space occupied by the passengers). "We also adopted the Pajero's four-wheel control technology for the chassis to dramatically improve performance," says Uehara.

"At the time, most general SUV 4WD used part-time four-wheel drive, in which the front and rear wheels are directly coupled by a shaft, with no center differential. As a result, they could not compensate for differences in rotation between the front and rear wheels, and so although they were able to drive on rough roads, this came with many disadvantages. For example, the vehicle might not turn as expected when the steering wheel was used, or it might be unable to drive on paved roads in 4WD mode in case it caused a drive train failure. Issues like this meant that only drivers who were accustomed to driving a 4WD could handle them. In response, we pioneered the development of 'Super Select 4WD,' a four-wheel control technology that, in addition to a direct-coupled mode, added a mode that enables driving by reducing the difference in rotation between the front and rear wheels. This was then implemented in the Pajero and the Delica. This 'Super Select 4WD' also has a mode that allows four-wheel drive without direct connection through the use of differential gears, allowing the vehicle to drive through sand and loose rock while still being able to drive comfortably on paved roads. This allowed anyone to learn to drive the vehicles, and led to the company becoming known as 4WD specialists."

At a time when the first choice for a personal vehicle was a sedan or a wagon in Japan, with the Delica and the Pajero, we pioneered a new genre, the RV (Recreational Vehicle), which could be used not only for everyday use, but also for serious outdoor activities. The reason behind their popularity, according to Uehara, was "a thorough commitment to reality."

He explains that "the first job I was given when I joined Mitsubishi Motors was to participate in the company's 'Star Camp,' which began in 1991. Since our products are a perfect match for camping, and many of our users are also camping enthusiasts, we would take advantage of events like these by participating in them ourselves, experiencing firsthand the joy of camping outdoors and getting a feel for what our users had to say. This allowed me to get to know various experts in outdoor activities and learn how they use their gear. For example, they carry in their toolboxes a flashlight with a magnet attached, allowing it to be fixed to the vehicle body and used to fit and remove snow chains at night. We incorporated ideas into our new vehicles that we could have come up with only by getting in touch with the reality of how they are used, going to the outdoors, and actually using them, rather than just spinning them around in our heads. I think that's why customers felt, 'Mitsubishi know what they're doing' and became fans of the company."

With the onset of recession, the outdoor boom came to an end. For cars, too, the focus shifted from leisure use to how conveniently they could be used around town. Accordingly, vehicles that allowed shoppers to easily load their purchases into the trunk, with low ground clearance to make getting in and out easy, and with a low enough height to be used in any parking lot, gained in popularity. For Mitsubishi Motors, which had led the market for vehicles to meet the needs of outdoor activities, with a particular focus on 4WD, this moment represented a crossroads. There were two camps within the company: those that wished to commit to outdoor activities and those that wished to shift focus to use around town. It was amid this debate, in 2007, that the fifth generation "Delica D:5" was launched. This was an all-round SUV minivan that offered superb comfort and loading capacity, suitable for both off-road and on-road use.

The conclusion reached by all the staff was that the Delica's true value does not lie solely in its capabilities for outdoor activities. That is, the road performance developed to make it ideal for outdoor activities is also useful in town. Thus, it allows people to move around with family and friends in comfort and confidence, even in adverse conditions such as heavy rain and heavy snow. We realized that this is what makes the Delica unique."

In previous models, the engine had been mounted lengthwise, with the Delica D:5, it was mounted transverse, improving comfort and loading capacity. In order to combine the user-friendliness of a minivan, attuned to the needs of everyday life, with the SUV-like power distinctive to the Delica, this model was designed with a ground clearance comparable to that of a full SUV and a generous approach angle. Proof that the Delica D:5 was able to achieve both was its performance as a support car in the Paris-Dakar Rally 2007 and the Asia Cross Country Rally 2023. Hiroshi Masuoka, who won two consecutive overall championships in the Paris-Dakar Rally, also praised the Delica D:5, saying that because it was able to drive over such rough roads while still being comfortable to drive, it helped hugely in relieving the strain on the mechanics on board.

"The Delica D:5 added the dependability of an SUV to something that the whole family could enjoy. There's the understanding that because it is safe, secure, and comfortable, it can go places with difficult terrain without problems, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors. We often use the slogan 'anyone, however they like, ' and for us, the 'anyone' means satisfying the needs of professional users as well. That's because true professional use requires that it be easy to use for everyone.

Similarly, when we say 'however they like,' we don't mean 'skilled drivers can drive it their way, not-so-skilled drivers can drive it their way.' Our goal is to enable people who are not accustomed to driving to drive like an expert by having the car provide them with support. I believe it is the Delica that embodies this."

Taking our commitment to providing safe, secure, and comfortable driving and space to our customers as a foundation, we will go beyond that to provide them with valuable experiences that only Mitsubishi Motors can offer. The origins of the Mitsubishi Motors -ness are still alive in successive generations of the Delica.

In 2023, we unveiled the "Mitsubishi D:X Concept" at the Japan Mobility Show to hint at the Delica of the future. We will continue to provide our customers with distinctively Mitsubishi Motors products that meet the needs of the times.