Dodge Colt), a successful venture as the compact cars met consumer demand for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles in the 1970s, filling a gap at the bottom of the Chrysler group's range.

A voluntary import quota system was in place at this time, restricting the number of cars Japanese automakers could bring into the U.S. As the Japanese company began to open its own branded dealerships to sell directly, every imported Cordia, Tredia, and Starion sold by Mitsubishi had to be discounted from Chrysler's allocation.

An incentive package worth US$274 million, and an intense and controversial lobbying effort by state and local government authorities, meant that Illinois won the new auto plant,[6] and in April 1986 ground was broken on a 1,900,000 sq ft (180,000 m2) production facility in the town of Normal.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon were smaller 2+2 sports cars on a new co-designed platform.

[3] Despite the departure, the two companies have maintained various co-operative manufacturing agreements since and considered all vehicle produced until 1995[9] as Diamond Star Motors.

[12] Eventually the plant was sold to Maynards Industries, an auctioning and liquidation firm, with ownership to transfer June 1, 2016.

[13] Currently, the facility is owned by American electric vehicle startup Rivian, which in 2017 acquired the plant and its contents for $16 million.