Bangkok--30 Apr--Mitsubishi Motors
- Announcement marks the first time Mitsubishi Motors has exported on a mass scale from Indonesia
- Mitsubishi Motors expects to export around 30,000 units of Mitsubishi XPANDER within the next year
- Decision follows the opening of the state-of-the-art Mitsubishi Motors manufacturing facilities in Bekasi in 2017
Mitsubishi Motors proudly announced the export launch of its popular XPANDER from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Bekasi, Indonesia. The Philippines will serve as the first export market for the vehicle in ASEAN, to be followed by Thailand, Vietnam and additional international markets in the coming months, with around 30,000 XPANDER expected to be exported during the first year.
Their Excellencies President Joko Widodo of Indonesia and Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto joined Mitsubishi Motors chief executive Osamu Masuko for the ceremony commemorating the export launch of the XPANDER, coming a year after the inauguration of the company's manufacturing plant in Bekasi.
The event marks the first time that Mitsubishi Motors will export vehicles on a mass scale from Indonesia and was made possible by the strong support of both the Indonesian government and manufacturing joint venture partners Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and PT Krama Yudha (KY).
Osamu Masuko, Chief Executive of Mitsubishi Motors, stated: "I am delighted that our company can contribute to the growth of Indonesia, which has been so supportive since we first arrived almost 50 years ago. The export of XPANDER is an important milestone in our ongoing business plan, and adds further to our strong foundations in ASEAN, which are key drivers of our growth in the region."
Since its launch in Indonesia during August 2017, the XPANDER has been well received, with the XPANDER recently being awarded "Car of the Year" by leading domestic tabloid Otomotif, and dealers across the country taking over 66,000 orders to date. In March, XPANDER became the best-selling car. The company is now working to fulfil deliveries.
The XPANDER currently comprises 50% of production capacity at Mitsubishi Motors' Bekasi plant, which is capable of producing 160,000 units per year. Between the expansion of export markets and significant domestic demand in Indonesia, Mitsubishi Motors added a second shift at its facility last October, and starting in July plans to increase production to 10,000 units a month following investments into its welding and assembly processes.
The launch of XPANDER exports and expansion of manufacturing in Indonesia will contribute strongly to Mitsubishi Motors' global production and sales footprint across the growing ASEAN region, where young and rapidly motorizing populations are attracted to the rugged and reliable sports utility vehicles and pick-up trucks for which the Mitsubishi brand is renowned.
About Mitsubishi Motors Thailand (MMTh)
Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the largest plant in the MMC group and an export hub to more than 120 countries, is one of Thailand's leading automotive manufacturers committed to produce and sell a range of vehicles that are eco-friendly, high in quality, performance, safety, comfort, technology and customer satisfaction. In 2018 MMTh celebrated a total production of five million units. MMTh's current range of vehicles includes the Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport PPV, Mitsubishi Attrage and Mitsubishi Mirage city cars. To ensure the highest quality, MMTh uses its proving ground in Sriracha, Chonburi to assess products from design and prototype stages to pre-production and commercialization. This ensures customers take delivery of vehicles that are second-to-none in all aspects of quality.