Mitsubishi open to selling rebadged Renault vehicles as it has dominant presence and appeal in the Southeast Asian countries
Nissan Motor Co announced buying 34 per cent controlling stakes in Mitsubishi Motors Corp last May as both parties agreed upon a deal worth $2.2 billion. It could not have come at a better time for the Japanese manufacturer as $3 billion of its market value were wiped due to fuel economy data manipulation scandal.
Moreover, Mitsubishi’s vehicles are highly popular in Southeast Asian countries like Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand where Nissan and its global alliance partner Renault have struggled to find a steady flow. Thus, the deal was considered not only to do all the goods for the famed Mitsubishi brand but also further strengthen the reach of the synergy between Renault and Nissan.
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In a recent report surfaced on Automotive News Europe, Mitsubishi appears to be broadminded for rebadging and selling models in Southeast Asia from Renault-Nissan alliance. In this way new opportunities for partnerships can be created while the footprint and versatility of the Japanese company will expand more.
Mitsubishi’s Chief Operating Officer Trevor Mann suggested that if it the cross badging of Renault’s products make sense, it will be an “interesting discussion”. In most of the Southeast Asian countries, Mitsubishi has strong presence over its owner Nissan. Just in Thailand, Mitsubishi manufactures three million vehicles from three major factories.
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Mann also revealed that both Nissan and Mitsubishi are considering joint manufacture of pickup trucks in Southeast Asia, where the segment accounts for huge amount of sales. Mitsubishi could supply Nissan the next avatar of Navara from the plant responsible for the production of its Triton pickup in Thailand to reduce soaring development costs.
Source: AutoNews