Mitsubishi was determined to become one of the world's leading auto manufacturers. There was no question about the excellence of its products, so Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) was confident in its decision to go seriously global. The success of the 1980s provided full justification for that confidence.

One important aspect of Mitsubishi's global expansion was sponsorship of big, international events. MMC took the first of many steps along this road when it became official vehicle supplier to the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo and the 1987 Universiade Games in Zagreb, both venues in the former Yugoslavia. Mitsubishi cars were seen by TV audiences all over the world.

One of the models supplied for both events was the Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero), which in many ways personifies the progress MMC has made as a world's top manufacturer. The Pajero, first launched in 1982, was quite different from anything seen before in the 4WD category. Here was an off-roader with real performance, real comfort and great looks! Incredibly, in the 1983 Paris-Dakar Paris Rally, the world's greatest adventure rally, Pajeros won the Unmodified 4WD Production Class, the Marathon Class and Best Team Award. In 1985, a Pajero won the Dakar outright. A legend had been born. Not surprisingly, the Pajero became a global best-seller. So many were the honors awarded to the Pajero in so many countries that mention of one of the most prestigious must suffice here. In 1986, the UK's What Car? named the Pajero its "4x4 of the Year."

The Pajero was not alone in the honors list. In 1984, the Mitsubishi Galant won Germany's "Das Goldene Lenkrad" (Golden Steering Wheel) award, a feat repeated by the Colt and the Lancer in 1988. Domestically, the Galant VR-4 was voted the "Japanese Car of the Year 1987-1988." Again, lack of space rather than modesty forbids highlighting of the many other awards won by Mitsubishi vehicles in the 1980s. The Mitsubishi reputation for performance, reliability and technological brilliance was now truly confirmed in the eyes of the world.

By the end of the decade, MMC had also extended its assembly and production facilities on an international scale. In this area, the most significant step was the opening in 1988 of a state-of-the-art production plant in Bloomington, Illinois by Diamond Star Motors Corporation, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler.