The history of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation dates back to 1870, the year that the Tsukumo Shokai shipping company was founded. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which can trace its origins to Tsukumo Shokai, launched the "Mitsubishi Motors became an independent company in 1970 when the autoomobile division was spun off from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, producing cars, trucks and buses for over thirty years. In 2003 the company was reborn again as the new Mitsubishi Motors, a manufacturer specializing in passenger cars.