Mitsubishi to launch Mirage model in November

LAEMCHABANG, Thailand - Mitsubishi Motors Philippines is launching the sub-compact car Mirage in the Philippines in November to compete in the growing market for small cars.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines vice president for marketing services Froilan Dytianquin said the Mirage would directly compete with models in the A segment such as the Hyundai Eon and i10, Chevrolet Spark, Suzuki Celerio and Alto.

He said Mitsubishi Motors is “challenging” the Philippines to sell around 500 units a month.

“The growing segment in passeger cars is subcompact and micro cars,” he said.

Worldwide, the Mirage would be pitted against Nissan March, Honda Brio and Suzuki Swift.

The Mirage, which was first launched in Thailand early this year, would be launched next in Japan, Brunei and the Philippines.

The 1.2 liter engine variant would be introduced in the Philippines.

The Mirage is currently sold in Thailand for 390,000 baht. A price in the vicinity of P600,000 is eyed for the Philippine market.

Mitsubishi Philippines is keeping its target of achieving a market share of 20 percent this year to maintain its standing as the second biggest automotive player in the country.

The company targets sales of 38,000 units this year against 32,000 last year. Dytianquin said the company could have sold more if it were not for the supply chain problems

All Mirage units that would be sold in the Philippines would be imported from Thailand.

The new Laemchabang plant in Thailand, which assembles the Mirage, has a total production capacity of 390,000 units per year.

Assembled in the plant are the Pajero Sport, Montero Sport, Titon, L200, the Lancer line, and the Mirage.

Suvitch Benchatikul, vice president of the Office of Manufacturing and Office if Production Control of Mitsubishi Motors Thailand Co., Ltd said the target production for the Mirage this year is 105,000 units this year, 35,000 of which or 34 percent would be sold in Thailand while 70,000 or 66 percent would be for export.

He noted that production has picked up for smaller cars.

The state of the art production facility consists of three factories: two for passenger cars and with a combined production capacity of 205,000 units annually and one for the truck line which has a production capacity of 185,000 units.

The plant has a workforce of 6,400 employees.