Mitsubishi intends to shut down US plants in Asia or in the straw
According to "Japanese Economic News" has revealed that the performance for the US market has been less important and less local utilization of plant capacity and other factors, Mitsubishi plans to close its plant in Normal, Illinois, which You are now looking for buyers willing to take.
US market in serious trouble
In the first half of this year, sales of Mitsubishi grew in the United States increased by 25% to 49 544 vehicles, including an update Outlander Sport sales 17% to 17,893 vehicles. Although Mitsubishi sales in the US They showed an upward trend in the first half, but its market share in the United States has accounted for less than 1%. Compared to Toyota, Nissan and Honda and other Japanese car companies, its performance in the United States remains much less.
Normal Mitsubishi plant in North America is just one company plant, commissioned in 1988, the first plant as a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler factories, currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi. Last year, Mitsubishi normal plant produced about 64,000 vehicles, almost half of the plant's annual energy contained 120,000, and in 2002 the annual production of more than 200,000 is very different, and compare their overall global production, accounting less than one tenth.
Previously, 24/7 Wall St website wrote "2014 (in the US) the disappearance of the top ten brands" (Ten brands will disappear in 2014), Mitsubishi Motors among its columns. It is expected that the site will continue after the Mitsubishi Suzuki become another outside the US market, Japanese car companies. Last year, "Kelley Blue Book" published in the American customer loyalty lowest inventory market several brands of cars, including Mitsubishi and Chrysler became the lowest two brand loyalty.
Informed sources said that the collective bargaining agreement Mitsubishi and local union workers expires next month, today the company is working with union representatives to consult on the use of Normal, Illinois plant of 918 workers.
Strategic focus shifted bets Asian market
In 2008, Mitsubishi announced that the complete closure in Australia. In late 2012, Mitsubishi has closed its only plant in Western Europe - the factory NedCar Netherlands, and the symbolic price of 1 euro to sell the Dutch bus manufacturer VDL Groep BV. Once closed US factories, Mitsubishi will be the first production operations in Europe and simultaneously removed from the market prices of Japanese cars America.
Analysts said the withdrawal of US and European production of Mitsubishi in the business, but to accelerate the distribution of production in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries can be adjusted. The company hopes to expand its manufacturing operations in Asia, in order to strengthen its global supply chain.
Earlier, Mitsubishi has announced a number of factories in Thailand will expand production capacity to meet the target of 510 000 / year. Mitsubishi currently has three production plants and a car engine plant in Laem Chabang, Thailand Industrial Zone (Leam Chabang Industrial Estate), currently the sum of these production capacity of three plants 460 000 / year. The company expects that in 2016 or 2017, cumulative production and exports in Thailand the number of cars reached 3,000,000.
Last year in September, according to Reuters, Mitsubishi consider investing $ 600 million in Indonesia to build a new plant in order to meet the increasing local competition in the market. Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko (Osamu Masuko), said he expects the new facility built by the company in Indonesia to have 160,000 capacity / year, the future will further expand the production capacity of 240,000 / year of the new project is expected it is the first half of 2017.
Last week, according to "Japanese Economic News" reported that since the Philippine government to provide tax incentives for car companies, Mitsubishi Motors plans to produce a small car in the country, is expected to put into operation in 2016. According Mitsubishi's plan, which will be placed on Mirage models in the Philippines, the preset capacity of about 30 000 / year. With the growth of the Philippine economy, with Mitsubishi Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, as the company has become an important overseas markets.
