Mitsubishi eyeing small car market
Japanese major Mitsubishi, better known for its rallying heritage and SUVS in India is planning to enter the ever popular small car segment. According to Masahiko Ueki, Japan executive officer, MMC and corporate General Manager of Asia and the ASEAN region, Mitsubishi plans to launch a small car within the next two to three years in India. Mitsubishi could probably bring in its new global small car, the 1.2-litre engine powered Mirage that was launched in Thailand some days ago. However, before that the manufacturer wishes to improve its dealer and service network, as it feels its current network is not strong enough to handle high volume products like hatchbacks.
Hence, Mitsubishi could look at bringing down its small car via the CKD route first. Ueki also added that they are exploring various options currently, and could even look at entering the small car segment entirely on its own, without its current partners, the Birla group owner Hindustan Motors. However he did not rule out the possibility of using HM's Chennai plant in future for manufacturing its small car, and said they could even look at developing India as a hub for manufacturing small cars in future, just like Mitsubishi's Japanese rivals Suzuki and Nissan.
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