Mitsubishi charges ahead with plans to export hybrid

Xpander-ing horizons

MANILA, Philippines — It is no secret that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) plans to manufacture a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and position the country as an export hub for hybrid vehicles.

While the parent firm Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has not set a group-wide timeline for when exports from the Philippines will start, the local unit is looking at 2030 as the launchpad for shipping out locally assembled hybrid vehicles.

As MMPC expands its horizons, the Xpander might just be leading the charge.

While the company has kept the specific HEV model to be manufactured in Laguna under wraps, MMPC chairman Noriaki Hirakata dropped hints about the mystery model to The STAR.

When asked if the HEV to be manufactured under the firm’s planned participation in the government’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy program is a sport utility vehicle or crossover, Hirakata said it is a model that is “an ideal vehicle for the Filipino family.”

When probed further and asked if the popular Xpander multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was a candidate, Hirakata smiled.

“I didn’t say anything,” he added.

Stakeholders including customers have started to speculate that the Xpander will be the model.

Hirakata would neither confirm nor deny this.

Noriaki Hirakata

For MMPC, the HEV to be produced in the country should be a model that would do well in the local market.

Last year, the Xpander took the crown as the best-selling vehicle in the country with a total of 28,081 units sold.

It also maintained its position as the best-selling MPV in the country for the third straight year last year.

Earlier, MMPC announced plans to invest P7 billion for HEV production in the country.

As for its export plans, Hirakata said that 2030 is the company’s internal target.

If realized, MMPC will begin exports two years after it starts HEV production in 2028.

While conservative managers may aim to start around 2035, Hirakata said he wants the company to move faster.

But he also said that exporting will bring a different challenge to the firm as it navigates different consumer behaviors and preferences in overseas markets.

“It’s challenging. But we need a challenge all the time,” he said.

At present, MMPC produces the Mirage, Mirage G4 and L300.