"Mitsubishi Motors-ness" uncovered through collaboration with other companies

In 1973, Mitsubishi Motors entered Southern Cross Rally with the Lancer's first-generation model 1600GSR which had only recently debuted. With its outstanding maneuverability on full display, it swept the top four positions. The forward charge of the Mitsubishi Lancer that shocked the world had just begun.

The press release that was distributed to the media before the race is still at Mitsubishi Motors' head office. The six-page A4-sized pamphlet reads, "Since this grueling high-speed rally (Southern Cross Rally) emphasizes high-speed steering stability and durability, entrant vehicles need a sophisticated balance of performance and durability," and "Our aim for this competition is to pursue the pinnacle of high-speed steering stability and durability in the Lancer rally car while putting our technology to the test on a stage where formidable competitors from around the world compete for the crown—then utilize all of the resulting technological achievements in all Mitsubishi cars."

Looking at the press release, Yoji Ohtani of the Ralliart Business Promotion Office commented, "The original story of why Mitsubishi Motors entered rallies is right here."

"The first time our company ever competed in international motor sports was also at the Southern Cross Rally, in 1967. Among motor sports, we have come to focus more closely on rally competitions that feature various road surface conditions such as tarmac (paved roads), gravel (unpaved roads), and snow."

Our emphasis now is to make cars that deliver exciting yet reassuring ride performance even for everyday drivers. Rally competitions held in grueling environments are magnificent opportunities to improve a car's innate fundamental attributes of forward driving, cornering, and stopping. We also insisted on entering competitions in categories based on models that are commercially available.

"Even if we win a race, it's pointless if we can't utilize it for the development of commercially available vehicles. The objective is always to improve the performance of cars that we offer to consumers. We enter rallies in grueling conditions and leverage the technology and expertise we gain from them in the next car that we bring to market. Then, we reflect feedback obtained from the market in our next rally car. This cycle became the foundation for making cars that are distinctively Mitsubishi."

The Research & Development Center in Aichi Prefecture handled the development of vehicles for the market and for use in competitions. The various teams involved consistently shared information with each other. There was also a test course built at the site, as well as an unpaved cross-country track. Almost every day, they repeated the cycle of testing out prototypes to check their performance, then making improvements.

"Customers should safely and assuredly reach their destination in any kind of environment, and then be able to safely return home. We have constantly sought to make cars with that type of reliability. Some people also have multiple cars. Even in extreme weather conditions such as snow, or rainstorm, they need to travel out to pick up a loved one. In those situations, we want them to reach for the keys of their Mitsubishi cars."

The World Rally Championship ("WRC"), the world's premier sprint car rally, began in 1973. We entered it at first with models such as the Gallant, Lancer, and Stallion. Then in 1993, we rolled out the Lancer Evolution which we developed by combining the best of the technologies established through those competitions. It went on to capture four consecutive World Drivers' Champion titles starting in 1996. The four-wheel drive technology we refined in the process evolved into S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control). We were able to achieve superior driving stability and a high level of steering stability through optimal control of the driving and braking forces of all four wheels. This technology was passed down from one generation of vehicles until the next and is now also equipped in two of our most prominent models, the Eclipse Cross and Outlander.

Next to the WRC, the Dakar Rally is the other rally competition where Mitsubishi Motors built its worldwide reputation. Compared to the WRC which is a sprint rally—a competition to drive the fastest on typical road surfaces—the Dakar Rally is an entirely off-road cross-country rally through nature. Originally, the route started in Paris, France and finished Dakar, Senegal, so it was called the Paris-Dakar Rally. The memorable scenes of racing through the desert are well-known, but the course also includes mountainous and densely wooded areas. People call it the most grueling motor sports competition in the world. We won the class in which we competed the first time in 1983, then our factory-backed racing team captured both first and second place overall in 1985. We went on to participate in the rally 26 times and won a total of 12 overall victories, including an unprecedented seven consecutive wins.

"The Dakar Rally has deserts, it has dirt. It's a grueling two to three weeks of off-road competition. Cars must not only be durable, but also comfortable to ride. Drivers cannot make a single mistake. I've also once gotten stuck at the bottom of a canyon-type area, and it took several hours to get free."

This quotation comes from Hiroshi Masuoka, who was the first Japanese driver to win the Dakar Rally two years in a row. Now, he works in our Development Department training young test drivers. Masuoka says that he was shocked at "how easy this car is to drive," when he first got into the Pajero.

"Four-wheel drive vehicles at the time could drive on any type of rough or unpaved surfaces, but they had the reputation of being uncomfortable to ride and unable to drive in a straight line on expressways. However, the Pajero not only delivers high performance on rough surfaces, but it's also comfortable on long drives and you won't feel fatigued. In some parts of the Dakar Rally you drive at around 200 km/h on flat roads, while in other parts you're climbing mountainous terrain. You have to cross rivers deep enough to come up to someone's chest and maneuver through sand dunes and all kinds of other scenarios too, but the Pajero delivered."

Masuoka smiles about how he immediately purchased the commercially available version of the Pajero for himself once he had witnessed its incredible road performance. Japan experienced a roaring "leisure boom" in the 1980s. As more people ventured out in their own cars to enjoy outdoor sports such as skiing, the Pajero which could drive safely and comfortably even over snow-covered winding roads established a solid presence in the SUV market. The Dakar Rally was the front line for its development.

"The commercially available Pajero was altered for entry in the competition, so the factory-backed racing team*1 and development team for the commercially-available vehicle had an extremely close relationship with each other. As a representative of the customers, I not only communicated things I noticed during rally races to the factory-backed racing team, but also to the development team for the commercially available vehicle. They gave their full effort in response."

The second-generation Pajero released in 1991 was equipped with Super Select 4WD, the first of its kind in the world. The third-generation Pajero released in 1999 led the SUV market by pioneering improvements in SUV technology such as the use of a four-wheel independent suspension on a monocoque body.

Mitsubishi Motors' motor sports activities in the WRC and Dakar Rally have been supported by Ralliart. While participating in rally competitions as our factory-backed racing team, Ralliart has also been providing technological support to privateers competing in races who are not factory-backed racing teams.
At the time, specs for racing vehicles based on commercially available cars were designed and developed by the Okazaki Plant. Ralliart's local teams based in the UK for the WRC and in France for the Dakar Rally assembled rally cars and competed in the rallies as our factory-backed racing teams. Another important role of Ralliart was to support motor sports enthusiasts who were attracted to top-category competitions and wanted to try competing themselves. They provided technological support by developing and selling parts for use in competitions. In addition, they also sold their own Ralliart brand merchandise. The Ralliart brand gained increasing recognition in proportion to the track record they built as a factory-backed racing team.
They have been on hiatus since Mitsubishi Motors stopped participating in rally competitions in 2010, but the Ralliart brand made a comeback in 2021. As a heritage brand that has developed our driving technology, sales of Ralliart accessories for the Outlander, Eclipse Cross, RVR, and Delica D:5 have begun in Japan.

(Continued in Part 2)