At his first visit to Mitsubishi’s Okazaki facility
in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Carlos Ghosn, the new chairman of Mitsubishi Motors, was spotted
sampling a pre-production test mule of the Mitsubishi XM 7-seat crossover.
MMC is hoping to garner success in markets like
Indonesia, where 7-seat MPVs and crossovers represent a bulk of total demand.
Its expected to launch in Indonesia this August, at the GIIAS 2017, the same
venue where the concept XM was unveiled in 2016, and bookings are rumoured to
open in July. The design of the Honda BR-V/Toyota Avanza rival will be 80
percent similar to the concept version.
The XM is also claimed to offer ample interior
space, with three rows of seats. It will reportedly ride on an all-new
monocoque platform and pack a 1.5-litre 4-cyl N/A petrol engine paired to a
manual or automatic transmission that will send power to the front wheels.
Reports suggest that a diesel variant or the option of an all-wheel-drive
system will not be offered in the XM, so we expect it to be priced highly
competitively. The XM will be manufactured at Mitsubishi’s new plant in Bekasi,
Indonesia.
Nissan purchased 34% stake in Mitsubishi in October
2016 and formally incorporated the brand into the Renault-Nissan alliance.
Moving forward it commits to joint purchasing, deeper localization, joint plant
utilization, common vehicle platforms and share technology. Reports from
Bangkok claim that Nissan will rebadge the Mitsubishi XM to compete in the
South East Asian markets. Aside from the fleet-focused Evalia/NV200, Nissan’s
only light MPV with three-row seating in ASEAN is the ageing Grand Livina.
