Mitsubishi Motors Australia

The Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd.. ( MMAL ) is the Australian subsidiary of the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. Seat and Australian headquarters are in Tonsley Park in South Australia; has offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The company was founded in 1980 and began in the same year with the construction of vehicles, the facilities of the Chrysler Australia Ltd.. were taken. The production of cars ended in 2008; since the company is active only as an importer of Japanese Mitsubishi car. MMAL operates spare parts center in Adelaide and Sydney.

History

Chrysler

The construction of the assembly plant in Tonsley Park was started by the then owner, the Chrysler Australia Ltd. , 1963. The factory was opened in October 1964, so that the existing assembly plant was closed in Keswick and sold to a furniture dealer.

In 1968 Chrysler Australia an engine plant south of Adelaide in Lonsdale, where engines for the popular Chrysler Valiant produced and have been installed in Tonsley Park.

Acquisition by Mitsubishi

Following the acquisition of 15% of the shares in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation by Chrysler USA 1971, Chrysler Australia began with the construction of vehicles which are constructed at Mitsubishi, but were sold with Chrysler emblem, particularly the Chrysler Valiant Galant (later Chrysler Galant ), the. on the Mitsubishi Galant (1972-1977) based, and the Chrysler Sigma, which was based on the Mitsubishi Galant (1977-1985) 1979 bought the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation, a sixth share of the shares of Chrysler Australia Ltd.. and in 1980 took over the two companies the rest of society by Chrysler USA. The name of the company was then in October 1980 in Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd.. changed. The production of the popular Sigma was continued under the name Mitsubishi until 1987. The successor named Magna came out in 1985. The production of the Colt, which began in 1982 was reinstated in 1990. There was no built in Australia for this successor.

The Magna -based, like its predecessors, on the Galant. The changes compared to the initial model in a larger vehicle width and an additional combination model that came out in 1987 failed. In the 1990s, the Magna several facelifts were subjected and a luxury version called the Verada can figure out. However, the early 2000s saw the Magna / Verada, now in its third generation, but a little out dated. Another facelift in 2003 missed the desired effect on the sales figures. The Japanese Mitsubishi Motors Corporation approved the construction of a new vehicle and paid for the renovation of the assembly plant Tonsley Park. The new car, the Mitsubishi 380, was introduced in 2005.

Falling sales

The legal and financial situation of the parent company also made the MMAL difficulties, so that the brand image in 2004 reached a record low. An image investigation in mid-2004 revealed that four out of five respondents thought that Mitsubishi would give up its commitment in Australia.

The withdrawal of DaimlerChrysler of its commitment to the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in 2004 and the " revitalization plan " which recommended the closure of the Lonsdale plant, did not help in improving the image of MMAL.

MMAL had at the end of 2004 or 4000 did not sell Magna and Verada standing in the yard. For regaining customer confidence and sales of standing stockpiled cars a number of television commercials were connected in December 2004. The spots focused on Tom Philips, the former head of Mitsubishi Motors Australia, which promised the introduction of a Fünfjahres-/130.000 km warranty. Mitsubishi prepared a slogan of Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca up again, which read: " If you can find a better -built, better- backed car anywhere, them buy it. " (Eng. Should you find a car that better quality and offers a better warranty, then you buy it). The campaign increased sales significantly and helped to remove the stockpile of unsold cars.

The Mitsubishi 380, the successor of Magna, nourished with its vision of hope for the future of MMAL. The hopes founded on the good sales success of Magna at its launch and the fact that the Australian automotive market grew at that time. But the 380 sold poorly from the beginning and missed the forecast sales figures by far. Mitsubishi has responded by reducing the daily production of 180 to 50 vehicles and reducing the need for staff.

The sales figures of other Mitsubishi models in Asia and Europe increased with the introduction of new models in 2006. These models were also introduced to the Australian market and increased sales in their respective segments, but did not help those produced in the country.

Task of manufacturing in Australia and reorganization

On 5 February 2008, MMAL announced that it would cease production of the 380 in Tonsley Park with effect from the end of March 2008. The two-page statement announced that the company would continue to " drive a pure import strategy in the Australian market ," since the 380 is just not sold properly. The last Mitsubishi sedan type 380 left the assembly line on March 27, 2008. Enabling about 500 workers were released, 430 more were able to stay 12 months. The remaining staff built the machine from the factory and still presented spare parts for cars from the past ten years ago.

By end 2009, MMAL had also expanded the last remnants of the production facilities from the assembly plant in Tonsley Park. On 16 December 2009 the work of the Government of South Australia was handed over.

At the same time reorganized the MMAL its remaining departments. This reorganization was completed in mid 2009, and 300 employees were laid off because they were no longer needed or her tasks were outsourced.

The majority of the remaining staff was in sales or marketing in busy when the MMAL some employees kept, who can perform the necessary structural changes to the Japanese Mitsubishi products, if necessary, to adapt it for the Australian market.

The MMAL has retained their offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. There only minor reorganizations were necessary as it had always been traded to sales offices.

Vehicle range

Since the setting of the model are manufactured in Australia 380, the entire model range of the MMAL from vehicles that are imported from Japan, such as the Colt, the Express, the Grandis, the Lancer, Outlander and Pajero the. From Thailand, the Challenger and Triton are introduced.

Production and sales 1991-2007

(Sources: Fact & Figures 2000 ( PDF, 3.8 MB), Fact & Figures 2005 (PDF, 1.1 MB), Fact & Figures 2008 (PDF, 3.4 MB), site of Mitsubishi Motors )

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