Colt Car Company

Mitsubishi Motors UK
Company typePrivate limited company
IndustryMotor vehicle import and distribution
FoundedUK (21 March 1974 (1974-03-21))
Defunct1 October 2021 (Ended car sales)
Headquarters
Watermoor, Cirencester
,
Gloucestershire, UK
Revenue£554 million[1]
Number of employees
20[1]
ParentMitsubishi Corporation[2]
SubsidiariesSpitalgate Dealer Services
Shogun Finance
Websitemitsubishi-motors.co.uk

Colt Car Company, also known as Mitsubishi Motors UK, was a privately owned business established in 1974 as part of Mitsubishi Motors' global expansion programme for the purpose of importing and distributing cars and light commercial vehicles in the United Kingdom.[3] For the first decade of its existence, British market Mitsubishis were sold under the "Colt" marque until the rebranding to Mitsubishi, which then brought the marque in line with the rest of the world.

Until 2008,[4] it was a 51/49 joint venture between Colt Automotive Ltd and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.[5][6] Three subsidiary companies existed: Spitalgate Dealer Services, which specialises in dealer wholesale stocking, Shogun Finance, the retail finance company and Shogun Retail, the retail operations company.

On 1 October 2021,[7] Mitsubishi Motors UK halted all new car sales for good as Mitsubishi's contract with the Colt Car Company (CCC) ended. On this date, CCC's aftersales business[8][9] was sold to International Motors,[10][11] a company known for launching Hyundai onto the UK market in 1981[12] and for being the current importer of Subaru and Isuzu vehicles. International Motors put the acquired operations into a new subsidiary called I.M. MAPS (UK) Ltd, which still had the rights to use the Mitsubishi Motors name for service parts and accessories.[13]

  1. ^ a b Gloucestershire Top 100 Companies 2006 Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine (Colt Car Co Ltd ranks sixth by revenue)
  2. ^ Company structure Archived 2006-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Official company history Archived 2006-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, Mitsubishi Cars UK website
  4. ^ "Mitsubishi Corporation takes over Colt Car Company". 3 October 2008.
  5. ^ Company structure Archived 2006-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, Mitsubishi Cars UK website
  6. ^ "Subsidiaries and Affiliates" Archived 2007-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Mitsubishi Motors website
  7. ^ "Mitsubishi aftersales business acquired by IM Group".
  8. ^ IM Group Mitsubishi MotorsMitsubishi Archived 9 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "International Motors completes acquisition of Mitsubishi aftersales business". October 2021.
  10. ^ "International Motors acquires Mitsubishi UK aftersales franchise operation". www.am-online.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Mitsubishi Motors in the UK Aftersales business bought by International Motors". 26 July 2021.
  12. ^ "International Motors".
  13. ^ "International Motors to take over Mitsubishi aftersales in UK".