STA. ROSA, Laguna–Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. said Friday it will introduce a new multi-purpose vehicle to replace Adventure and L-300 models that the company will retire by end-2017.
“We will be displaying the concept car by September [2016] during the Philippine auto show. It will be a totally new model, not similar, neither a full-model change version of the current L-300,” MMPC first vice president for marketing Froilan Dytianquin said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s stamping facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Mitsubishi will terminate the production of L-300 and Adventure models to give way to a new model that can comply with Euro-4 standards, he said.
The Japanese vehicle maker is awaiting further instructions from the government, as it prepares to phase out Adventure and L-300 models.
“We see that right timing for the transition program in the last three months of 2017. We need to determine how much remaining volume we will be selling until December 2017. We also cannot neglect that dealers will be doing the retail and will be carrying the inventory. That will be one of the issues,” Dyntiangquin said.
He said the company would continue after-sales services for owners of Adventure and L-300 vans, including maintenance and parts support.
Mitsubishi on Friday led the groundbreaking for its first stamping facility at its 21-hectare property inside Greenfield Auto Park in Sta. Rosa.
The stamping facility or press shop will mass-produce big body parts such as body panels and plastic parts such as bumpers, consoles and dashboards beginning January 2018.
It said pending the installation of the press shop by mid-2017, it would bring in big parts from Thailand, where Mirage is currently produced.
The company targets to localize parts of the Mirage–its entry model to the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program of the government.
MMPC recently received the certificate of participation for Cars program from the Trade Department and the Board of Investments.
