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Takashi Nishioka, Chairman of Mitsubishi
Motors Corporation and Jean-Martin Folz, CEO of PSA
Peugeot Citroën, signed the final cooperation agreement
between their two companies concerning all-new SUVs.
The project was a joint undertaking of Calty Design
Research Inc., Toyota's California design studio,
and the company's California-based Advanced Product
Strategy group.
It was commissioned because of changes
in the minivan market. The agreement plans the annual
production in Japan of 30,000 units for PSA Peugeot
Citroën’s
needs, based on a Mitsubishi Motors’ platform
currently under development.
To be launched in Europe in 2007, the new high-end
SUVs will be well equipped with top-of-the-line comfort,
handling and safety features. The Peugeot and Citroën
models will be powered by Mitsubishi Motors’ newly
developed gasoline engines with aluminum cylinder block
and with PSA Peugeot Citroën’s latest-generation
HDi diesel engines equipped with particulate filters.
These fuel-efficient, low emissions diesels will deliver
remarkable environmental performance. In Japan, the
Mitsubishi-branded model will be launched in autumn
this year. In Europe, the models of the three brands
Peugeot, Citroën and Mitsubishi (European
version) will be unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show.
Designed with specific styles for Peugeot and Citroën,
the new SUVs will broaden the Peugeot and Citroën
product ranges and will enable the two brands to reach
new customers by entering an expanding market segment.
This project will target at European markets and countries
where European type cars are in circulation.
For Mitsubishi Motors, the additional volume for PSA
Peugeot Citroën will enable the company to raise
capacity utilization rates and to improve productivity.
The company expects that this agreement would help
accelerate the efforts to achieve the targets mapped
out in the Mitsubishi Motors Revitalization Plan. With
this cooperation, Mitsubishi Motors and PSA Peugeot
Citroën pursue a “win-win” strategy
between collaborative partners. |
