Mitsubishi Motors is planning to bring full-scale production to Vietnam Mitsubishi Motors looks to expand beyond simple vehicle assembly in Vietnam and move to full-scale local production, including procuring parts from within the country, as the Japanese automaker commits to enhancing its already considerable presence in Southeast Asia and Vietnam. “To be a true winner, we must develop production and exports to a certain level in each country,” CEO Osamu Masuko said during his trip to Thailand. The automaker jointly operates an assembly plant in Vietnam with trading house Mitsubishi Corp. However, the Vietnamese operations will not simply be limited to assembly in a “knock-down kit” production method, Masuko said. Sourcing more materials locally would let the company handle more upstream processes for components. The automaker aims to lift regional unit sales to 310,000 by the 2019 fiscal year. In Thailand, where the government is promoting electric vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors plans to begin the production of plug-in hybrids as early as 2020. The company will file documents this year for approval by the government. The Triton pickup and Mirage compact have sold briskly in Southeast Asia, and the trucks accounts for 15 per cent of Mitsubishi Motors’ global unit sales. The Xpander minivan, a seven-seat car produced in Indonesia with the appearance of a sport utility vehicle, has been hugely popular as well. The Outlander is the only model of Mitsubishi Motors Vietnam produced locally since its release in January 2018, while other products are imported from Thailand and Indonesia…. [Read full story]
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