LESS than 10 months after its introduction, the Mitsubishi Xpander outsold its competitors in the market, making it the bestselling small multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in the country.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) sold 13,502 Xpander units in 2018. Introduced in the first quarter of 2018, it instantly captured the market’s interest with thousands of reservations made.

With more units available now, MMPC is optimistic that the Xpander will further drive MMPC’s growth for the year.

MMPC posted modest improvement on its market share in 2018 versus its 2017 market share. This comes after the company sold a total of 67,512 units last year for 18.89 percent market share.

Although, MMPC experienced a drop in its total sales, the company slightly improved its market share and remained as the number two bestselling automotive brand in the country.

Apart from the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Act that has affected the whole automotive industry, the phasing-out of MMPC’s two bestselling models, the Adventure and the L300, also contributed to the decline in sales volume.

Although MMPC sales went down, several models posted an improvement on its total annual sales. The locally manufactured Mirage G4 increased total sales by 14 percent with 14,810 units sold. The Mirage G4 is among the top choices under the small passenger car segment.

The total Strada units sold last year also improved compared to sales in 2017. For 2018, MMPC sold 4,561 double cab pick-ups versus 3,663 units sold in 2017.

This year, MMPC is highly optimistic that it will recover and bring back its robust sales performance.

“With the strong supply and demand of the Xpander and with the introduction of the new Strada, we look forward to a more progressive year,” MMPC executive vice president Taichi Nakajima said.

He added that the company is positive that the new Strada will bring back the market enthusiasm on this pick-up brand and further improve market presence and share under this segment.

Aside from the new Strada, MMPC will further strengthen its line-up with the introduction of model upgrades during the year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) turned over one Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is a pure electric vehicle, and one Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, to the Office of the President.

MMPC executives witnessed the signing and turnover ceremony between DENR and Palace officals at Malacañang.

During his opening remarks, DENR Assistant Sec. Jesus Enrico Moises Salazar thanked Mitsubishi Motors for being at the forefront of electric vehicle development and promotion, as well as for helping the department in its vision to sustain a clean and healthy environment.

In his speech, MMPC president and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri said, “As an EV and PHEV manufacturer, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. together with MMPC are eager to work with the Philippine Government in its efforts of promoting efficient and environment-friendly vehicles.” (With PR)