Mitsubishi Model A

Make:	Mitsubishi
Production period:	1917 to 1921
Class :	Motor car
Body versions :	Touring car
Engines:	Petrol 2.8 liters

The Mitsubishi Model A was the first production car in Japan and the only automobile that produced the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. built. as part of the Mitsubishi Keiretsu later developed the Mitsubishi Motors . It was made from 1917 to 1921. The idea for its production goes to Iwasaki Koyata , the fourth president of the company and nephew of the company founder Iwasaki Yatarō who foresaw the immense potential of motorized vehicles and their role in Japan's economic development. The Model A was a luxury automobile for senior civil servants and business leaders and therefore needed to be reliable, comfortable and a shining example of Japanese craftsmanship.

The 4-door sedan with seven seats based on the Fiat type 3 and had an in-line four-cylinder engine with 2765 cm capacity and 35 hp (26 kW), the drive, the rear wheels and the car up to a speed of 32 km/h . 22 copies including prototypes made by the company in 4 years at the port of Kobe .

As its manual construction and painted cypress wood body was relatively expensive, it could not compete with cheaper US and European makes. As a result, Mitsubishi ceased production after just four years, focusing on commercial vehicle manufacturing with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation .

Technical details

Engines: Gasoline 2.8 liters
Power: 36 hp (26 kW)
Length: 3830 mm
Width: 1620 mm
Height: 2070 mm
Wheelbase: 2640 mm
Curb weight: 1315 kg