Mitsubishi Boosts Production Output at Indonesia Plant to Due Xpander Cross Demand

Mitsubishi has high hopes for its Xpander MPV that it is expanding the production volume at its Bekasi, Indonesia manufacturing facility for a second time.

In 2018, the Japanese carmaker already boosted the annual production capacity from 100,000 to 120,000 to ensure shorter waiting times. This number has since grown to 220,000 units per year as it foresees strong demand for the SUV derivative, the Xpander Cross. Out of this number, around 100,000 will be exported to other ASEAN countries, including the Philippines.

Across two markets where it’s currently sold, Mitubishi has managed to sell 250,000 Xpander units cumulatively.

In the Philippines, the Xpander sold a total of 13,494 units during its first year. This has then grown cumulatively to 36,168 units making it the best-selling MPV in its category. Furthermore, it contributes 30 percent of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines’s current sales.

The new Xpander Cross will provide new values for wider range of global customers centering ASEAN where style, ruggedness and practicality are in high demand says Mitsubishi.

“The Xpander is a very important nameplate to MMPC as it fits many of the vehicle requirements of Filipinos. It provides the reliable performance, spacious and comfortable interior, host of safety features and a very bold design. Now with the entry of the Xpander Cross, its added features, we see renewed potential to the already successful Xpander nameplate.” Said by MMPC President and CEO Mr. Mutsuhiro Oshikiri.

The Xpander Cross is now available at all authorized Mitsubishi dealerships nationwide with a suggested retail price of P 1.255-million.

Mitsubishi PH Delivers L300, Xpander Units Through Government's Transparent Procurement System

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) recently delivered L300s and Xpander units to the Department of Health (DOH) through the Procurement Service, an attached agency of the Department of Budget and Management.

With the Procurement Service, government agencies can order the vehicles via online and have it delivered to the agency doorstep after validation and payment of request. This initiative aims to further streamline the process of procuring motor vehicles while maintaining the principles of economy, efficiency, and check and balances.

The total number of approved units to be delivered by Mitsubishi through the system are 232 units of the L300 Euro 4 with FB Body and 33 units of the Xpander GLX Plus AT through CitiMotors Makati and Diamond Motors Fairview, respectively.

Aside from DOH, MMPC is set to deliver more units to various agencies with vehicle requirements from PS-DBM in the coming months.

As one of the partners of the Procurement Service, MMPC supports the government’s thrust to reform the government procurement system and ensure transparency, efficiency, and economic use of tax payer’s money.

Mitsubishi Philippines Announces Recall of Xpander MPVs

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines has announced a recall of Xpander MPV units purchased from May 2018 to October 22, 2019 due to a defective fuel pump installed in them. The recall has been officialized after the carmaker identified the models affected.

After its investigation, they have found that the plastic impeller on the inside of the fuel pump can inflate, and this stops the pump from rotating, causing the engine to stall or fail to start. The defective fuel pumps are found to have plastic impellers with a low molecular density causing the inflation.

Mitsubishi says they will replace the fuel pump free of charge. This procedure will take approximately 72 minutes subject to the availability of service bays, and of the replacement fuel pump. The Japanese auto giant also says the fuel pump replacement may be done during the Preventive Maintenance Service or PMS as well.

To ensure smooth servicing, customers are encouraged to call their preferred Mitsubishi Service Center to arrange an appointment. For additional concerns or inquiries, customers may call the Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Customer Care Center at +63 8250 8888 Mondays to Fridays 7 AM to 3:30 PM.

The Mitsubishi Xpander is the Best Built Small MPV

The Mitsubishi Xpander is the best built entry-level MPV, and you don’t have to take our word for it; you can take J.D. Power’s. The result came out after J.D. Power released the results of its Initial Quality Study or IQS in Indonesia.

The study serves as the industry benchmark for new vehicle quality by examining problems experienced by new vehicle owners within the first two to six months of ownership including both design-related problems and defects/malfunctions encountered. The overall initial quality score is determined by problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower number of problems indicating higher quality. With the Philippines sourcing units from Mitsubishi’s Bekasi, Indonesia assembly plant, owners here can expect that their Xpander MPVs will perform similarly.

In Indonesia, the Xpander has store of 51 PP100, ranking it fourth overall and highest in the entry-level MPV segment. By comparison, the Suzuki Ertiga scored 57 PP100 while the Toyota Avanza rated below average at 77 PP100.

The Mitsubishi Xpander is the People's Choice for Automobile of the Year

Top-selling models of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) and Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) were proclaimed as the “2019-2020 Auto Focus Automobile of the Year” (AOY) in their respective Standard and Premium/Luxury categories at the Awards Night of the 2019-2020 Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards (AFPCA).

The Mitsubishi Xpander, currently the hottest-selling MPV (Multi-purpose Vehicle) in the market, took the 2019 AOTY– Standard category crown via a consolidated score of 3,368.8 that marked a narrow win over the 3,203.2 points of the Toyota Hilux pickup. The Xpander also landed the “Model of the Year” in the MPV/Van classification for the first time.

In the Premium/Luxury category, the top AOTY award went to the Toyota Alphard van, in runaway fashion. The Alphard also came away as this year’s “MPV/Van of the Year”, following a previous streak of 4 consecutive model of the year wins from 2012-2015. With this 5th annual award, TMP’s top selling premium/luxury model will enter the elite circle of the Auto Focus Model of the Year Hall of Fame.

The AFPCA, organized by Sunshine Television (STV) and now on its 15th edition, is an annual public poll that aims to determine the country’s most popular automobile brands and models. It features a unique scoring system that attributes 80 percent value to public votes from the July 1 to September 30 online poll and 20 percent to unit sales. Official sales volume data for the AFPCA was furnished by Stradcom Corporation with the official sanction of the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The data covered only “Completely Built” and “New Imported” units that were put in for new registration with the LTO from January to September 2019. So-called grey market and used vehicles were excluded. The AFPCA scoring methodology yields Model of the Year awardees in five (5) Standard and four (4) Premium/Luxury classifications and the Automobile of the Year in separate Standard and Premium/Luxury categories from over 180 models in the 2019 AFPCA Official Entry List.

In the race for the other four Standard Model of the Year awards, the Toyota Wigo went back-to-back as “2019 Sedan of the Year”. Maiden victories were scored by the Nissan GT-R as “Sports Car of the Year”, and the Toyota Rush as “SUV/Crossover of the Year”. Of note is the “Pickup of the Year” award of the Nissan Navara, it’s 5th after prior model of the year titles in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2018. The Navara will now also gain inclusion into the Auto Focus Model of the Year Hall of Fame.

The Premium/Luxury Model of the Year classifications marked 3 first-time awardees. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class debuted as “2019 Premium/Luxury Sedan of the Year”. The Dodge Challenger SRT was honored as “Premium/Luxury Sports Car of the Year”. And, the “Premium/Luxury SUV/Crossover of the Year” plum was cornered by the Mercedes Benz GLA Class.

During the same evening, due recognition was also conferred upon winners of the “2019-2020 Auto Focus Media’s Choice Awards” (AFMCA), an equally important component of STV’s Automobile Industry Merit Program. The AFMCA aims is to further recognize the automobile industry’s continuing efforts to provide car owners and motorists with the best on-board features, styling, performance and overall value. A select group of recognized motoring media professionals and practitioners comprised the AFMCA Voters’ Panel. Prompted by a record-high number of entries and the evident level of parity in many model categories, the Awards Committee maintained last year’s rationalized majority rule that set a 1/3rd or 33.3 percent vote tally requirement for media awardees. The previous 12 Standard and 10 Premium/Luxury model classes were retained. Based on this, 56 winners emerged from the 88 award categories.

These were:

Best Design – Standard: 6 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Mazda 6 (Midsize Sedan); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Mitsubishi XPander (MPV); Toyota HiAce (Van); Suzuki Jimny (Subcompact Crossover)

Best Design – Premium/Luxury: 5 Winners
Mercedes Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); BMW 5 Series (Midsize Sedan); Lamborghini Urus (Large SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van)

Best Engine Performance – Standard: 7 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Subaru Levorg (Compact Sedan); Mazda 6 (Midsize Sedan); Nissan GT-R (Sports Car); Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (Large SUV); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Toyota HiAce (Van)

Best Engine Performance – Premium/Luxury: 9 Awards
MINI 3Door & 5Door (Subcompact Sedan); Lexus GSF (Midsize Sedan); Porsche Panamera (Large Sedan); Lamborghini Huracan (Sports Car); Porsche Macan (Compact SUV); Porsche Cayenne (Midsize SUV); Lamborghini Urus (Large SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van)

Best Safety Features – Standard: 5 Awards
Honda CRV (Compact SUV); Nissan Terra (Midsize SUV); Ford Ranger Raptor (Pickup); Kia Grand Carnival (MPV); Subaru XV (Subcompact SUV)

Best Safety Features – Premium/Luxury: 8 Awards
Mercedes Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); Mercedes Benz C-Class (Compact Sedan); BMW 5 Series (Midsize Sedan); Volvo S90 (Large Sedan); Volvo XC60 (Midsize SUV); Volvo XC90 (Large SUV); BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (MPV); Honda Odyssey (Van)

Best Value-for-Money – Standard: 9 Awards
Honda Brio (Mini Sedan); Suzuki Ciaz (Subcompact Sedan); MG 6 (Compact Sedan); Volkswagen Lamando (Midsize Sedan); Suzuki Vitara (Compact SUV); Isuzu MU-X (Midsize SUV); Isuzu D-Max (Pickup); Suzuki Ertiga (MPV); Toyota HiAce (Van)

Best Value-for-Money – Premium/Luxury: 7 Awards
Mercedes Benz A-Class (Subcompact Sedan); Lexus IS350 (Compact Sedan); Lexus ES350 (Midsize Sedan); Lexus NX300 (Compact SUV); Lexus RX350 (Midsize SUV); Peugeot Traveller (MPV); Toyota Alphard (Van).