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The DTI and Mitsubishi are talking about manufacturing the Xpander locally

Could the Xpander become a locally-produced model? The DTI is eyeing the model from the Mitsubishi stable.

Earl Lee on Feb 17, 2023

The Mitsubishi Xpander is a cornerstone model for the brand in the country. The model continues to be the best-selling model in the Japanese brand’s lineup but it’s still a completely built-up (CBU) import, with the supply coming from Mitsubishi’s Thailand plant.

Sources gathered by Auto Industriya have stated that the Xpander is being eyed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for local production, with the department enticing Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC)q to act. According to the DTI Special Trade Representative, Dita Angara-Mathay, local production will also depend on the CARS program, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program.

As such, and if Mitsubishi decides to push through with bringing the Xpander’s production to Philippine shores, the government will grant the company incentives. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, have caused both brands to slip with regard to volume. Mitsubishi and even Toyota requested an extension on the production volume quotas as a result.

To meet the incentive, it appears that Mitsubishi is also interested in bringing the production of another model into the country. The DTI is hoping that the Xpander will be the model that Mitsubishi manufactures.

So far, all of this information is based on the DTI’s official. Mitsubishi has not yet made any official announcement on the matter. The Japanese brand has since committed to investing more in local manufacturing, but no comments have since been made by Mitsubishi at the time of this article’s writing.

Hopefully, we get to see a locally-made Xpander in the near future. Given how well the model is doing, we’re excited to see what Mitsubishi does next with this nudge from the DTI. While nothing is set in stone at the moment, the interest could lead to progress which could lead to a desired outcome. Let’s just wait and see.

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