Mitsubishi started as a shipping firm in 1870 and today is a giant multinational conglomerate. In 1917, the company entered the automotive arena with Japan’s first series-production automobile. Called the Mitsubishi Model A, it was based on an Italian Fiat. During World War II Mitsubishi manufactured military aircraft, including the famous A6M Zero fighter plane. After the war, the company turned its attention to commercial vehicles but by the 1970s had entered into a partnership with Chrysler, leading to vehicles like the Galant and Sigma being sold under the Chrysler brand in the United States. During the 1980s and 1990s, the company gained international recognition with tech-heavy performance cars like the Starion, Eclipse and 3000GT, while its Lancer Evolution model brought the company great success in the World Rally Championship. The company also gained a reputation for reliability and ruggedness through consistent campaigns for its Pajero SUV model (known as the Montero in the U.S.) at the Paris-Dakar rally. During the 2000s, Mitsubishi backed away from performance and further embraced electric and hybrid technology, but remains one of Japan’s largest carmakers.