Diamond Star Motors history and terminology

The Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon are built in Normal, Illinois, in a factory that was originally owned by Diamond-Star Motors, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler. (The plant is now wholly owned by Mitsubishi.) From model year 1990 to 1994, the Plymouth Laser was built alongside the Eclipse and Talon. The Diamond-Star Motors abbreviation O DSM O is often used as a generic label for the Talon/Eclipse/Laser car family.

The first-generation (1G) cars O Eclipse, Talon, and Laser O are mechanically identical. The cars have small cosmetic differences, but otherwise, they are exactly the same. In the 1995 model year, the car got substantial revisions, including new sheet metal, engine changes, suspension changes, and more. The Chrysler Laser was discontinued, but the second-generation (2G) Eclipse and Talon are again the same car, sharing every part except exterior cosmetic details like the front and rear bumpers, wheels, and spoilers.

For the purposes of this guide, we will refer to the Eclipse/Laser/Talon simply by the Eclipse name, to avoid any weird acronyms. Talon and Laser owners, just insert the name of your car where appropriate. Where the text applies only to first-generation cars or second-generation cars, we'll use the '1G' or '2G' abbreviation.

The Galant VR-4