Mitsubishi Worldwide Production By Nation : 2012

The new Mirage (Space Star in Europe) is selling quite well

Coming in at 19th in the world for car/LCV production is Mitsubishi. The company has been doing tough for a little while now. Production for 2012 fell nearly 3% in a growing market and it now has just 1.4% of world sales. China in particular seems to have fallen off badly for the three diamond brand. It has pulled out of the Nedcar operation in the Netherlands also.

The Outlander is important for the brand

Mitsubishi car making is based around two nations, with almost 80% of the total production. Of course it is relies on the Asia/Pacific region for most of its sales. In NZ for example where Mitsi is quite strong, it relies mainly on SUVs and pick up vehicles for sales. The Outlander (see pic on right) suits the New Zealand outdoor lifestyle and is the top seller here for the make.

The car mark today is a tough place to be. Alliances and technology sharing are increasingly common among car makers. Volume is also important to be competitively priced. Smaller brands such as Mitsubishi are in a difficult place trying to remain competitive. The fight goes on.

11	12		2011	Shr	2012	Shr
1	1	Japan	600,164	52.8%	512,873	46.3%
2	2	Thailand	209,003	18.4%	356,750	32.2%
4	3	Indonesia	53,316	4.7%	62,860	5.7%
6	4	Brazil	37,350	3.3%	40,950	3.7%
5	5	Taiwan	50,088	4.4%	40,644	3.7%
7	6	USA	37,145	3.3%	36,974	3.3%
3	7	China	109,463	9.6%	21,527	1.9%
8	8	Netherlands	23,808	2.1%	19,516	1.8%
9	9	Philippines	12,778	1.1%	13,455	1.2%
13	10	India	497	0.0%	810	0.1%
12	11	Vietnam	602	0.1%	601	0.1%
10	12	Tunisia	1,860	0.2%	300	0.0%
		Other	778		176
		Total	1,136,852	1.5%	1,107,436	1.4%

Data source: Thanks to OICA.