Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) is committing to a P7 billion investment plan in the Philippines over the next five years, including the production of a new model at the Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
The pledge was formalized during a courtesy call by Takao Kato, president and CEO of MMC, to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on February 6.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Subaru PH needs to bring in the all-new Forester Hybrid ASAP
First drive: The 2025 Kia Sorento has a very solid USP to stand out in its segment
Locally, Mitsubishi is consistently the second best-selling carmaker behind Toyota, last year claiming 89,124 units sold versus its rival’s 218,019 units. That said, the Philippines is still “our number one market” in the ASEAN region, Kato said—and this was one of the reasons our country was chosen to host the global launch of the Mitsubishi DST Concept at the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS).
Mitsubishi officials have remained tight-lipped when asked if the DST Concept’s final production form will also make its world premiere in the country. The model’s seven-seat high-riding configuration, however, is one that has always done well in the local market, as evidenced by the strong sales performance of seven-seat subcompact MPVs and midsize SUVs, and even the AUVs of old.
Marcos said that Mitsubishi will be included in the new Revitalizing the Automotive Industry for Competitiveness Enhancement (RACE) program, which could replace the current Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program. Under CARS, Mitsubishi’s local plant produces the Mirage G4, of which it needs to make 200,000 units within a six-year period to be fully eligible for the program incentives.
The Santa Rosa plant—whose annual production capacity of 50,000 units may be scaled up to 100,000 units—also currently manufactures the undying L300, so the new vehicle that Mitsubishi intends to manufacture in the country will be its third locally produced model. Again, we’re only speculating here, but if it turns out to be the DST, then it will give Mitsubishi another seven-seat competitor in the market alongside the Montero Sport, the Xpander, and the Xpander Cross.
“The jobs that it will provide, that your investment will provide, are very important to us and certainly, vehicle manufacture is one of those,” said Marcos.
