Registry

Does Mitsubishi support Israel?

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

Business presence documentedupdated 2026-09-26

Mitsubishi does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Car & automotive brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

Mitsubishi Motors has no plants or sales subsidiary in Israel: its vehicles are imported and sold there by Colmobil, the privately held Israeli company of the Harlap family, which has held the Mitsubishi franchise since 1988 (by 1992 Mitsubishi was Israel's top-selling brand) — the importer's actions and its owners' personal philanthropy are not Mitsubishi Motors'. Historically, Mitsubishi complied with the Arab League boycott and stayed out of the Israeli market until the late 1980s; a 1988 JTA report noted it planned to reach Israel only through indirect channels, and it entered openly as the boycott collapsed around 1988-1992. Its documented corporate-side Israel ties run through the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance: the joint Alliance Ventures fund's investments in Israeli mobility tech (Maniv Mobility 2018, Upstream Security 2019) and the alliance's Tel Aviv innovation lab opened in 2019 — joint alliance activities in which Mitsubishi Motors is one partner. No Mitsubishi Motors corporate donations to Israeli government bodies, the military or Israel-linked charities are documented. Hebrew coverage carries two very large donations that put Mitsubishi in the headline but not in the act. In October 2023 Dr Shmuel Harlap, Colmobil's chairman and controlling owner, and his wife Anat gave 120 Mitsubishi Space Star cars to four Gaza-border kibbutzim hit on 7 October — Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz and Nahal Oz, 30 cars each — registered to the kibbutzim themselves as shared vehicles; Walla Cars put the value at an estimated NIS 10 million (about $2.5 million at the Bank of Israel rate of 4.079 shekels to the dollar on 26 October 2023) and states the couple financed it personally and not through the company they control. In August 2025 the same couple donated $180 million to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, for a heart-and-brain centre named 'Migdal HaTikva' due to open in early 2027. Neither donation was Mitsubishi Motors' or Colmobil's: the cars carried Mitsubishi's badge because Harlap's group imports them, and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation contributed no money and was not a party to either gift.

Globes — Colmobil, the Harlap family importer holding exclusive Mitsubishi rights in Israel UPI archive (1988-09-01) — Mitsubishi begins exporting cars to Israel Colmobil (official) — company history, Mitsubishi becomes Israel's best-selling brand Jewish Telegraphic Agency (archive, 1988) — Japanese want to sell to Israel, but are afraid to break boycott Jerusalem Post — Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi alliance launch Tel Aviv innovation lab Walla Cars (2023-10-26) — Giant donation: who gave 120 Mitsubishi Space Star cars to the Gaza-border kibbutzim? ICE (2023-10-26, crediting Globes) — Colmobil chairman Shmuel Harlap donates 120 Mitsubishi Space Star cars; a personal donation Walla Money (2025-08-27) — $180 million: unprecedented donation to Beilinson Hospital by Anat and Dr Shmuel Harlap TheMarker (2025-08-27) — $180m donation to Beilinson Hospital for a heart and brain centre Bank of Israel — official USD/ILS representative rate, 4.079 on 2023-10-26

Timeline of documented records

Documented records

Type	Date	Amount	Recipient	Sources
Investment / program	2018-05	—	Maniv Mobility (Tel Aviv automotive VC fund) Alliance Ventures — the joint venture-capital fund launched in January 2018 by Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors — made its first investment in Israel, committing an undisclosed amount to Tel Aviv mobility-focused VC fund Maniv Mobility to increase the Alliance's involvement in the Israeli market. The investment belongs to the joint Alliance fund, in which Mitsubishi Motors is one of three partners, not to Mitsubishi Motors alone.	Calcalist Ctech — Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Invests in Tel Aviv-Based Automotive VC Maniv Times of Israel — Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi sees Israeli tech as key to future of cars
Investment / program	2019-10-21	—	Upstream Security Ltd. (Herzliya automotive-cybersecurity startup) Alliance Ventures (the joint Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors fund) led the $30 million Series B round of Israeli automotive-cybersecurity company Upstream Security, alongside Volvo Group, Hyundai and Nationwide. The $30 million is the round total; the Alliance's individual share was not disclosed, and the investment is attributable to the joint Alliance fund rather than Mitsubishi Motors alone.	PR Newswire (Upstream Security press release) Tech.eu
Franchisee action	2025-11-02	—	Israel Defense Forces (lieutenant colonels' vehicle fleet) Haaretz reported that the IDF is replacing about 600 Chinese-made Chery Tiggo 8 vehicles — used for three years by lieutenant colonels with large families — with Mitsubishi Outlander SUVs, citing data-security concerns and a new policy barring Chinese-made vehicles near sensitive bases. The report, citing Walla as its original source, does not name the supplying dealer or a contract value; vehicle sales to Israel go through Colmobil, Mitsubishi's exclusive Israeli importer since 1988 (documented in this page's context), so the switch is treated here as Colmobil's action, not Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's — Mitsubishi Motors is the manufacturer of the model chosen, not a party to the fleet decision or any resulting contract.	Haaretz — IDF drops Chinese cars, switches to Japan's Mitsubishi fleet One source

Frequently asked questions

Did Mitsubishi donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Investment / program, Franchisee action), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 15 distinct sources are cited for Mitsubishi. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26