Mitsubishi formally enters the U.S.

Mitsubishi begins selling cars under the Mitsubishi brand in the U.S. on Dec. 8, 1981.

Until then, the Japanese automaker had been building cars for Chrysler Corp., such as the Colt, for sale in the U.S.

Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. was formed in 1981 after tensions arose between Mitsubishi and Chrysler over sales of subcompact cars, leading the Japanese company to establish its own sales network.

The Mitsubishi Tredia sedan, and the Cordia and Starion coupes, were initially sold through seventy dealers in 22 states, with an allocation of 30,000 vehicles between them.

The quota, restricted by mutual agreement between the U.S. and Japanese governments, was included among the 120,000 cars earmarked for Chrysler.

Chrysler acquired a stake in Mitsubishi in 1971, with the intent of buying the Japanese company outright over time, and began to sell the first Mitsubishi Galant in the U.S. as the Dodge Colt.

Mitsubishi Motors chief Tomio Kubo wanted to export more cars through established foreign companies. So Chrysler continued to sell all sorts of Mitsubishi captive imports under the Dodge and Plymouth brands.

With gasoline prices surging, Chrysler needed affordable, fuel-efficient small cars and wanted to become a global automaker. Mitsubishi, one of Japan's smaller automakers, aimed to maximize production capacity and return a profit to its giant parent company.

Over time, Mitsubishi felt Chrysler executives exerted too much control over product planning , design and engineering and wanted to expand their own sales.

But Chrysler wasn't eager for new competition in some markets.

Still, in 1980, Mitsubishi acquired all of Chrysler's Australian operations, which Chrysler had to sell to raise cash and avoid bankruptcy.

Near the end of the 1980s, as Mitsubishi initiated a major push to increase U.S. sales, it aired its first national TV advertising campaign, and made plans to increase its U.S. dealer network to 340 dealers.

The voluntary quotas on import cars became another hurdle for Mitsubishi and Chrysler. So the two automakers hatched plans to form Diamond Star Motors and jointly build vehicles at a new plant in Normal, Ill. Chrysler eventually exited the Diamond Star Motors joint venture and Mitsubishi recently closed the plant.

Mitsubishi is marking its 100th anniversary in 2017.