Bangkok--31 Jul--Mitsubishi Motors Thailand
In the beginning, there was an empty plot of land at Laemchabang in the province of Chonburi, Thailand. Today, it is the cradle of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's biggest facility outside Japan. Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has more than 7,000 direct employees, with thousands more in the supply chain. It is the first automaker to export Thai-built vehicles and until today, is also one of Thailand's biggest exporters.
Underlining Thailand as an important hub to its regional and global operations, the automaker today has three automobile plants, and an engine plant in Sriracha, Chonburi. In 2018, Mitsubishi Motors Thailand built a total of 440,000 vehicles (including knocked-down units) with 347,000 units bound for export.
And today the automaker celebrates the export of the four-millionth vehicle from its facility. The four-millionth vehicle is a NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON bound for Europe.
"The ASEAN region centering on Thailand is one of the important areas for Mitsubishi Motors," said Mr. Osamu Masuko, chairman of MMC. "In addition to contributing to the region through businesses such as providing products that meet each country's demands, employment, human resources development, investment as well as local production and export, we have been contributing to local societies through our corporate citizenship activities. We will continue to expand our activities in the ASEAN region to further contribute to solving social issues."
Mr. Morikazu Chokki, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. added, "In line with our global strategy of 'Drive your Ambition', we will continue to explore and bring new technologies to Thailand's automotive industry. For customers here in Thailand and more than 120 countries around the world, our products will continue to excite with versatility, driving confidence and functionality."
Echoing Mr. Masuko's statement, Mr. Chokki concluded, "We will remain equally committed to Thailand as we move on to achieve bigger milestones together with suppliers, business partners, and our staff."
Mitsubishi Motors started its operations in Thailand in 1961. In 1988, Mitsubishi Motors laid the foundation to establishing Thailand as its biggest hub outside Japan by exporting MITSUBISHI LANCER CHAMP to Canada, the first automaker to export Thai-built vehicles.
In 1992, Laemchabang Plant 1 was opened, followed by Laemchabang Plant 2 in 1996 to focus on the production of one-ton pickup trucks. Laemchabang Plant 3 was opened in 2007. It was also the year Mitsubishi Motors Thailand achieved the 1 million units mark for the export.
The second million was achieved in 2013. It also marked the 25th anniversary of Mitsubishi Motors Thailand's exports. Realizing the immense potential of its Thai operations, Mitsubishi Motors invested in a Research-and-Development function in Thailand. It became the first full-fledged R&D operation outside Japan with the three-pronged commitment; 1. To develop quality products for the Thai market 2. Independently develop facelifts, upgrades and model changes and 3. Consolidating its own data on market and technology trends within ASEAN.
The R&D unit grew to incorporate a proving ground in Sriracha, Chonburi in 2015. The 152,000 square-meter facility further strengthens Mitsubishi Motors Thailand's product competitiveness and quality for both domestic and export models. It caps the automaker's confidence and commitment towards Thailand as an important operational base, and to its team of engineers in Thailand.
In 2016, Mitsubishi Motors Thailand reached 3 million units of export. And by the end of the year, it was the largest vehicle exporter in Thailand.
In fiscal 2018, Mitsubishi Motors Thailand exported more than 298,000 built-up (BU) units and that makes the company currently the biggest vehicle exporter in Thailand.
Mitsubishi Motors Thailand's growth continue unabated. It has achieved a total export volume of 4 million vehicles. Major products for export are pickup trucks accounted for approximately 70 percent, city cars accounted for approximately 22 percent, PPV (Pickup Passenger Vehicle) accounted for approximately 5 percent, and other vehicles accounted for approximately 3 percent.
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, and officially opened Education Academy in Pathum Thani. MMTh's current range of vehicles includes the Mitsubishi Triton, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Mitsubishi Attrage, Mitsubishi Mirage, and Mitsubishi XPANDER. 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.
Please contact Mitsubishi dealers nationwide for more information and test driving, or contact Mitsubishi Call Center Tel. 02-079-9500 every day at 8:30 – 17:00 hrs.
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