Mitsubishi to introduce new MPV crossover next week

MANILA: As we reported previously, Mitsubishi is allegedly preparing a new variant of the Xpander. The report has been confirmed by Mitsubishi Motors yesterday. The Japanese auto giant issued an official statement that a new Crossover MPV will be introduced on 12 November in Jakarta, Indonesia.

As they said on press release, "Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will unveil a new model, which represent the characteristic of Multi Purpose Vehicle and Sport Utility Vehicle. It will drive the customer's ambition by combining the design and robustness of modern SUV with versatility of an MPV. More detail will be available on 12 November."

With that, they also share a teaser image of what looks like a Mitsubishi Xpander with new accessories around the exterior. Most visible are the new front bumper, roof rail, over fenders and newly design wheels. Other changes include LED headlights and day-time running lights. We also suspect it will have higher ground clearance than the original Xpander. It is expected that not much will change on other dimensional figures, though.

Specifications are not yet available. But we can safely guess that it will be available in 1.5 liter, 4-cylinder engine already available in current Xpander and the twin, Nissan Grand Livina. It will produce 107 hp, which is enough for daily use.

We don't know what this car will be called. But it will serve as the flagship variant of Xpander. It is common to have the top variant with different names. Toyota Veloz for Avanza, or Toyota Venturer which is the most expensive Innova.

With that, the feature will be more on the posh side. Cruise control, leather seat, better multimedia system with multiple connections are among the few of what will be available. Rumor among Indonesian journalist is that this car will be available in seven or five seats capacity. The latter is interesting because it will provide more room in the already spacious Xpander. We will cover the launch, and give you more update. Stay tune.

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