Mitsubishi Motors PH to launch XForce in June
WITH the successful launch of the Mitsubishi Triton under its belt, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) hosted a press conference headlined by Mitsubishi Motor Corp. (MMC)’ Executive Officer and Executive
Vice President for Sales Tatsuo Nakamura.
Together with Minoru Kinoshita, the corporate officer responsible for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Oceania and division general manager for Asean B Division, Nakamura was in town for a series of meetings and to announce that the all-new Mitsubishi XForce is launching in the Philippine market in June 2024.
Nakamura also confirmed that other nameplates are in the pipeline until 2025, including the new-generation Mitsubishi Montero Sport, and two other vehicles Nakamura did not name but confirmed to be an SUV and an MPV.
Also in attendance were Noriaki Hirakata, MMPC chairman; Takeshi Hara, president and chief executive officer, MMPC; Takanobi Suzuki, executive vice president for sales and marketing, MMPC; and Allan Cruz, senior manager for product planning, MMPC.
At the press conference, Mitsubishi officials revealed that the three-day launch event, which took place in January, contributed to the great acceptance of the all-new Mitsubishi Triton and converted to the reservation of over 3,000 units. In this latest iteration, MMPC made the strategic decision to officially retire the Strada moniker and embrace the Triton badge, which is the name under which the pickup truck is marketed in other global markets.
Launching in June
The all-new Mitsubishi XForce is a five-seater compact crossover SUV (B-Segment) that was developed for use in the Asean region. Produced at the Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia plant, it made its debut at the 30th Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Jakarta in August 2023. Just last month, Vietnam became the second country to launch the XForce and the first market to get the left-hand drive version.
Aside from the Philippines, it will also be made available in South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
The all-new Mitsubishi XForce has a stylish yet robust exterior, as well as a roomy interior. It was developed to answer the needs of drivers in the Asean region and has gone through repeated tuning in the region’s road environment. Outside, the XForce sports the brand’s new generation dynamic shield, class-leading ground clearance of 222 mm, and sits on 18-inch wheels. It is powered by a 1.5-liter double overhead camshaft 16-valve MIVEC engine (4A91) paired with a continuously variable transmission.
Inside, the all-new XForce comes with a Dynamic Sound Yamaha Premium sound system, a 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio (SDA), an 8-inch digital driver display, and versatile storage spaces. The all-new XForce has four drive modes: Normal, Mud, Gravel and Wet — the latter being a first for the brand.
MMC and MMPC officials were all enthusiastic about the Philippine market and have targeted achieving a 20-percent market share with their beefed-up lineup. The projected sales volume of the XForce of around 700 units per month.