Mitsubishi Model A
Mitsubishi's first car was assembled almost like a coach or shipyard project, proving that a Japanese company could build a passenger car for series sale.
Mitsubishi model a and workers.jpg · Mitsubishi Motors Corporation · Public domain (PD-Japan-oldphoto and PD-1996)
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Mitsubishi began prototyping the Model A at the Kobe Shipyard of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in the summer of 1917 and completed the car in November 1918. The company built 22 cars including prototypes by 1921. Mitsubishi calls it Japan's first series-production passenger car built and sold with mass production in mind, but the tiny total and hand-worked construction make clear that this was an industrial first step rather than modern assembly-line volume. Workers created it with hammers, chisels and sketches made from a dismantled European reference car, then fitted unusually rich materials for its intended executive and official customers.
Look a little closer.
Its horn used blown air and its headlamps burned gas—two reminders that the electric equipment now taken for granted in cars was not yet standard practice.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Why the date needs a two-part answer
The project is conventionally dated 1917 because prototyping began that summer. Mitsubishi's later archival release says the completed car arrived in November 1918, and production continued through 1921. Keeping all three dates prevents the prototype start from being mistaken for completion or full production.
Source: Mitsubishi Motors · Model A selected as a Historic Car ↗Shipyard engineering met carriage craft
The engineering team sketched a dismantled European car, formed the chassis from beaten sheet metal and entrusted the interior to experienced horse-coach builders. Lacquered white cypress, English worsted cloth and steel panels fixed to a wooden frame show how several crafts were combined before a mature Japanese car-supply industry existed.
Source: Mitsubishi Motors · Car History ↗Where these facts come from
- Mitsubishi Motors · Model A selected as a Historic Car
- Mitsubishi Motors · Car History
- Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan · Mitsubishi Model A
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.