This Mitsubishi MPV nameplate began in 1983, when the company launched its first three-row minivan concept into production. In Mitsubishi’s own history materials, the vehicle appears as the Chariot in Japan, while Space Wagon was the export name used in several markets, including Europe. The original model helped establish Mitsubishi as an early player in the family-minivan segment, emphasizing airy packaging, flexible seating, and car-like drivability rather than truck-like utility.
Across its life, the nameplate passed through three distinct generations. The first-generation car arrived in the early 1980s, the second-generation version followed in 1991, and the third-generation model was introduced in the late 1990s. Mitsubishi’s corporate and sales documents show the Space Wagon name still in use into the early 2000s, and by 2004 it was being replaced by the Grandis in overseas markets. In some regions, the related Chariot Grandis also carried Space Wagon as a local market name.
As a result, this was a long-running Mitsubishi people carrier associated with practical family transport, flexible interior layouts, and the company’s early move into the modern MPV/minivan class.