Mitsubishi Motors launched its new L300 small truck in the Philippines at the end of September, fitted with a new diesel engine which meets the country's Euro IV regulations.
The Philippine subsidiary of the Japanese carmaker was forced to withdraw the L300 model range at the end of 2017 ahead of the introduction of stricter emissions standards at the beginning of 2018, which led to a loss of market share as other Japanese and Chinese rivals moved in quickly to fill the void.
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The new model has essentially the same body design [dating back to the 80s – ed] as the old one, but with a higher ground clearance to make way for the new engine. It is built at Ford's old car assembly plant in Laguna which Mitsubishi acquired in 2015 after the US car giant ceased vehicle production in the country.
The L300 is delivered to the numerous independent body builders in the country in cab chassis format and they offer a wide choice of customised body variants to meet customer requirements including flat bed cargo bodies and rear cabs for people transportation.
The new L300 is powered by a 2.2-litre CRDi intercooled turbo diesel engine which delivers a maximum 98hp and 200Nm of torque, 40% more than the previous model. It is fitted with a five speed manual gearbox.
Mitsubishi introduced a second shift at the Laguna factory in early October to meet strong demand for the model, doubling output capacity from 76 units per day to 152 units. The plant has a production capacity of 50,000 units per year, split between the Mirage small car and the L300.
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By GlobalDataThe company said that immediately after the launch it received 1,662 orders for the truck for the month of October.
Mitsubishi Motors sold 41,034 vehicles in the Philippines in the first eight months of 2019, down 7.3% year on year, for a market share of just over 17%.
The company also launched the Montero SUV in early October, a rebadged Pajero Sport imported from Thailand.
