Mitsubishi is all set to overhaul its India operations. The company will establish a new plant and launch a slew of new products, including a Hyundai Creta rival, in the country.
So far, Mitsubishi has been operating in India in a partnership with Hindustan Motors. According to a new report from Financial Express the company is set to tie-up with a new local company based in Jamshedpur now. The report says that the Indian company is a major auto component manufacturer and is expected to invest up to INR 500 crore in Mitsubishi’s next phase of Indian operations.
Mitsubishi is likely to finalise its new partnership in India by the end of this month and make an announcement about the same by September this year. If all goes well, the Japanese automaker will establish a manufacturing facility in India for the first time, in Jamshedpur.
The report indicates that the local arm wants to have a say in all the major decisions regarding the Indian operations once the deal is finalised, especially with regards to the products and pricing. The company is considering to put a Hyundai Creta rival and a Toyota Fortuner rival in the Indian Mitsubishi showrooms. From the current global line-up, these would be the Mitsubishi RVR (Mitsubishi Outlander Sport/Mitsubishi ASX) and the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (Mitsubishi Montero Sport/Mitsubishi Shogun Sport).
The potential new Indian partner of Mitsubishi will also look at bringing the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross compact SUV to the Indian Mitsubishi showrooms. In fact, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross was going to be launched in India by this year, as per a report released in August 2018. However, now it looks like either that plan has gone down the drain or there was no such plan in the first place.
Also Read: 2019 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (facelift) officially unveiled
Production at the first Mitsubishi auto plant in India is scheduled to commence in 2022 tentatively. By then, the number of dealerships will be increased by at least three times from now. Currently, there are only 11 Mitsubishi showrooms in India. Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Mitsubishi updates and other auto news.
[Source: financialexpress.com]
