MMC to launch new Delica D:3 Minivan and Delican Van LCV

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to Launch New Delica D:3 Minivan and Delica Van Light Commercial Vehicle in Japan

Tokyo, October 6, 2011 - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced today that it will launch the Delica D:3*, a new compact minivan, and the Delica Van, a new light commercial vehicle in the Japanese market on October 27. The Delica D:3 and Delica Van have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of between \1,879,000 and \1,974,000 and between \1,685,000 and \1,965,000 respectively.

2011 Delica D:3 G

* The name Delica is coined from "Delivery Car;" D is the initial letter of "Delica" and the number 3 is used by the company to denote a vehicle of minivan size.

The Delica D:3 targets larger families as it covers a wide range of purposes from everyday to leisure use. The Delica D:3 and Delica Van to be added to the Delica range are both models supplied to MMC by Nissan Motor on an OEM basis and is a result of the agreement to expand business collaboration reached between the two companies in December last year.

Delica Van DX

The new Delica Van fits into the same size class as the current Delica Van and offers top-of-class load carrying capacity as well as a level of fuel economy that qualifies it for Japanese eco-car tax incentives, making it the ideal light commercial vehicle for business use. The replacement of the current Delica Van with the new model will also be accompanied by the withdrawal of the Delica Truck from the lineup.

Mitsubishi to sell rebadged Nissan NV200 as the Delica D:3

The OEM partnership between Mitsubishi and Nissan looks to be growing even further – Mitsubishi is set to take yet another vehicle from Nissan into its model line-up for the domestic market.

Nissan NV200

Thus far, under the existing OEM agreements with Nissan, Mitsubishi is selling the AD commercial vehicle under its badge, while supplying its eK Wagon and other minivehicles, according to reports. Already, both companies have set up a JV to develop mini-cars for the market, with operations having begun in June.

Now, Mitsubishi is set to add Nissan’s NV200 van to the list and plans to start selling the 1.6 litre-class vehicle as the Delica D:3 sometime from the end of October, and it’s hoping to shift 5,000 units for the initial year.

The company is also mulling over getting a luxury sedan like the Teana to sell under its own brand. Having considerably trimmed its model line-up, 60% of Mitsubishi’s domestic sales are now made up of mini-vehicles, and the reports add that procuring more models from Nissan will allow the company to feature a more balanced product range without increasing its RD spending.

Source: PaulTan.org