Turbo Zone

Mitsubishi is suiting up for growth in the Philippines. Mitsubishi Motor Corporation (MMC of Japan) has recognized the continued growth of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) and intends to fully utilize it to strengthen its position in the Asian and ASEAN markets.

They have acquired a 21-hectare manufacturing plant in Greenfield Automotive Park in Sta. Rosa Laguna that used to be operated by Ford Motor Company Philippines.

Aside from more jobs and opportunities in the local industry, this could also mean one great thing for us motoring fans: even more of Mitsu cars in the Philippines!

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines prepares for expansion of Philippine motorization

MMPC acquires manufacturing plant in Sta. Rosa Laguna.

Recognizing the sustained growth in the economy and the coming age of motorization in the Philippines, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) acquires the 21-hectare closed manufacturing plant of Ford Motor Company Philippines situated in Greenfield Automotive Park in Sta. Rosa Laguna.

The acquisition of the plant is part of Mitsubishi Motor Corporation’s (MMC of Japan) strategy to further strengthen MMPC’s role of expanding sales and production capacity which is part of its new stage of growth mid-term plan until the end of 2016 fiscal year. MMC has recognized MMPC’s strong performance in the Philippines with its continuous growth in spite of the increasing market competition.

MMPC managed to establish new records in its operations last year when it celebrated its 50th year of continuous operations in the country. MMPC achieved total sales of 43,176 units last year, breaking the previous sales record of 36,533 units established in 1996. This sales performance garnered MMPC a total market share of 20 percent while also establishing its 7th consecutive growth since year 2006.

MMPC is looking forward to the new Philippine government auto policy which is aimed at strengthening the local auto manufacturing operations to make it competitive against other Asian and ASEAN countries. Strengthening the auto manufacturing operations through this new auto policy, will eventually provide huge job employment opportunities not only to car assemblers, but also to the industry related companies and businesses such as first, second and third tier suppliers.

The Philippines, in spite of its new record sales achieved last year of around 212,000 units, is still far behind Thailand and Indonesia in terms of auto market sales, but is projected to rapidly grow in the coming years given its close to 100 million population.

Currently, MMPC’s 18 hectare plant is located at the growing residential area of Cainta, Rizal and has a capacity to produce 30,000 units annually. Last year, MMPC has produced around 15,000 units given its existing completely knocked down (CKD) models such as the L300, Adventure and Lancer EX. MMPC plans to relocate to this new site and start vehicle production by January 2015.

Mr. Hikosaburo Shibata, MMPC President and Chief Executive Officer said that “The acquisition of the Sta. Rosa factory will further strengthen our assembly operations, utilizing heavy stamping machines, advanced equipment and facilities engineering that will support MMC’s business objectives for the new mid-term business plan.”

MMPC prepares for Philippine Motorization; Acquires Ford Plant | Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation

Toyota Motors Philippines ain’t done yet. After launching a handful of new models in just a year, Toyota has now officially launched the 2014 Yaris, the close sibling of the Vios that is now invading our local streets.

We will be providing more details on this model soon, but your guess is as good as mine, it should be just as good as the Vios but with the sportiness a hatchback.

Here are some photos from the launch:

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) shares with us the news that its parent company Hyundai Motor has won Red Dot Design Awards for the all-new Genesis and the new generation i10. This affirms the success of Hyundai Motor’s “Fluidic Sculpture 2.0” design philosophy, a trend that’s visibly unique in its recent models.

Here’s the complete news release:

Hyundai Motor Receives Red Dot Design Awards for Two Models

• All-New Genesis and New Generation i10 awarded Product Design honors
• Recognition of Hyundai Motor’s design philosophy ‘Fluidic Sculpture 2.0’
• Latest awards for newest models of the Hyundai line-up

March 27, 2014

Hyundai Motor received two Red Dot Product Design Awards for its recently-launched All-New Genesis and New Generation i10 in the Vehicles category. The internationally acclaimed Red Dot Awards recognize aesthetic form, innovation and ground-breaking ideas. The two Hyundai winners were chosen from an entry list of 4,815 products from 53 countries.

Byung Seob Lee, Senior Vice President at Hyundai Design Center, commented: “The Red Dot award is widely recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious design awards and to receive two is a real honor. Distinctive design is helping us attract new customers and develop strong connections with them. It is also the ultimate expression of what Hyundai offers — cars that are both good to drive and to look at. The All-New Genesis & Next Generation i10 introduce ‘Fluidic Sculpture 2.0’, Hyundai Motor’s evolved design philosophy, which will be featured in all future Hyundai models.”

This year’s influential Red Dot jury consisted of 37 experts from 24 countries, all independent qualified designers, university professors or journalists — and this year included design star Jimmy Choo for the first time. The selection of the Hyundai All-New Genesis and New Generation i10 marks the first Red Dot Design Award win for a production Hyundai model.

Hyundai New Generation i10 features sleek and substantial lines which emphasize its naturally-athletic stance while All-New Genesis is defined by elegant proportions and clean lines that reflect its natural poise and superior driving dynamics.

The Hyundai All-New Genesis and New Generation i10 will be celebrated at the traditional Red Dot Gala and subsequent Designers’ Night. A winners’ exhibition will present both cars to a wide audience from July 8 to Aug. 3, 2014, before they enter the museum’s permanent exhibition.

Design is now one of the key reasons customers choose Hyundai cars. The Red Dot honor follows an iF Product Design Award 2014 for All-New Genesis. A range of awards have also been given to New Generation i10 since the car’s launch in late 2013, underscoring the car’s wide range of abilities and delivery of value beyond expectations.

-Ends-

About Hyundai Motor
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group, with more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Hyundai Motor – which has seven manufacturing bases outside of South Korea including Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, India, Russia, Turkey and the U.S. – sold 4,7 million vehicles globally in 2013. Hyundai Motor, which employs over 90.000 worldwide, offers a full line-up of products including small to large passenger vehicles, SUVs and commercial vehicles.

Further information about Hyundai Motor and its products is available at www.hyundai.com.

About Hyundai Motor Europe

In 2013, Hyundai Motor Europe achieved registrations of 422.930 units, taking a new-car market share of 3,4%. Almost 95% of the vehicles Hyundai sells in the region are designed, engineered and tested in Europe to meet the needs of European customers. And 90% are built at its two local factories in the Czech Republic and Turkey, which have a combined annual capacity of 500.000 units. Hyundai sells cars in 30 European countries across 2.500 outlets.

Hyundai offers its unique, Europe-only, Five Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty package with all new cars sold in the region, providing customers with a five-year warranty with no mileage limit, five years of roadside assistance and five years of vehicle health checks.

More information about Hyundai Motor Europe and its products is available at www.hyundai.com/eu. Follow Hyundai Motor Europe on Twitter @HyundaiEurope.