MITSUBISHI Motor Philippines Corp. (MMPC) will be replacing the iconic Mitsubishi L300 with the L200, as the former is slated for a phaseout next year to comply with stricter emission standards.
MMPC Country Manager Yoshiaki Kato and the firm’s First Vice President for Marketing Froilan Dytianquin said that, with the government’s shifting to higher emission standards by end-2017, it is planning to terminate local assembly of the Adventure and the L300.
“Unfortunately, for the two models, they’ll be ending by 2017, because of the Euro 4 status. We’re still considering the next-generation models for L300 and Adventure,” Dytianquin said.
The new model to replace Mitsubishi’s Adventure has yet to be named, but is another Mitsubishi multipurpose vehicle (MPV). This will be manufactured in Indonesia. The L300, however, can be replaced by the Mitsubishi L200.
“We have the L200 cab chassis, which has the same proposition and is coming now from Thailand. Probably, that is the model we will be using to succeed the L300,” Dytianquin said.
The MMPC first vice president said it will coordinate with the government for a smooth transition of the phaseout of the two locally manufactured models to ensure their inventory is properly depleted.
“We cannot neglect the fact dealers will be carrying inventory, that will be one of the issues facing the phaseout,” he said.
Mitsubishi held the ground-breaking ceremony for its P2-billion stamping plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna on Friday, considered its first act of compliance to the government’s manufacturing stimulus program, the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program. The program entails investment into the manufacture of large plastic-body parts.
The phaseout of the iconic L300 and Adventure will coincide with the start of manufacturing the Mirage and Mirage G4—the Japanese brand’s bid into the government’s CARS Program.
The company pegs its initial production volume of the Mirage in 2018, its first year of operations with the manufactured pressed parts, set at 30,000 units. This represents its total capacity since by then, it will no longer be producing the two models.
The CARS Program requires a production volume of at least 200,000 units for the six-year period, averaging 33,000 units a year for the qualified car manufacturer.
Image credits: Alysa Salen
