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There is a reason why genuine accessories are more expensive

Mitsubishi tells us about its accessory product development

Earl Lee on Mar 05, 2019

Mitsubishi Motors shares why genuine accessories are the best for your vehicle. All products have been meticulously designed and tested to ensure perfect integration with the brand’s vehicles, from the biggest to even something as small as an OEM body trim accessory.

Car manufacturers often showcase a selection of OEM accessories in their showrooms to give car buyers an option to spruce up their rides. However, taking a look at the price tag would dissuade potential buyers from acquiring these items. Outside of the dealership however, it is the wild west, and you could get stuck with a trim piece that isn’t aligned properly, a set of fog lights that won’t last long, or even a backup camera that stops working after a few days.

Related: Mitsubishi Strada Launch

When you buy accessories at your dealership, you buy assurance. A warranty is not the only extra bit you purchase whenever you acquire an accessory for your car. Logically, manufacturers would not attach a warranty to their products if they did not believe in its build quality. A business will not sell its product if it is subpar and ill-fitting.

Mitsubishi knows their cars the best. Before making it to the showroom displays, products are meticulously developed and tested to ensure perfect fitment and functionality the moment it is installed onto your vehicle. This is because the design team in charge of accessories work hand in hand with the design team for Mitsubishi vehicles to ensure that the look of the car will be in line with the overall theme of Mitsubishi’s design; another perfect fit.

Some car manufacturers offer accessories that shows different appearance from original design of original impression of the vehicle. In Asian countries in particular, all kinds of accessories are sold in aftermarket, making it hard in some cases to tell what the car’s original design even was. At Mitsubishi Motor, we supply genuine parts that are built with the original vehicle in mind. Our department is adjacent to the vehicle design team, so that we can touch base with each other and tweak our designs to match perfectly.

Atsunori Mitsuda
Manager, Product Design Department, Design Division

Quality control ensures that the customer gets their money’s worth. In the case of body panels any gap is unacceptable to the designers. Any accessory that has been developed must adhere to strict standards.

I strive to ensure that each accessory integrates perfectly even if it is installed after the vehicle is sold on the market. Take the Triton’s black front bumper garnish. The edges where the silver three-diamond Mitsubishi mark meets the black frame are harder to get right than the original vehicle design was. If the gap is too wide, it looks sloppy, but if the edges are too close together they can scratch the car. This makes for an interesting challenge from the design perspective. The Triton is produced in Thailand, and many of its parts are also produced by Thai suppliers. We decided on the final design in consultation with the design division, aiming to bring out the finest technical prowess that those local production sites had to offer. I hope that the challenge of creating these complex accessories will spur further improvements in the technical level of our suppliers.

Hiroshi Aoyama
Manager, Accessory Planning and Development Department, Global After Sales Division

Mitsubishi’s statement on genuine accessories also extend to its thrust to give its consumers the best possible experience with their products. Accessories are not just attachments to make your car look different, accessories should extend the look of your car, and add your own personal touch to the car.