Mitsubishi Malaysia officially announced that this compact MPV will arrive later this year.
We’ve seen the spy shots and heard the rumours, but today Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) has finally officially announced the launch of the new Mitsubishi Xpander MPV, coming later this year.
To those who are unfamiliar with this interesting looking Japanese minivan, the Xpander is Mitsubishi’s seven seat compact MPV that is set to rival the major players in this sector like the segment default Toyota Avanza and the SUV-looking Honda BR-V.
Those more-well travelled readers would have probably seen this people mover in our neighbouring ASEAN nations as the Xpander has been a popular seller in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand for a couple of years now, since its launch in 2017.
In fact, the Xpander is also rebadged and sold as the Nissan Livina in Indonesia too, thanks to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
On the outside, the Xpander wears the family Mitsubishi Dynamic Shield front that gives this MPV its distinctive look. A floating roof design helps break up the side profile, while the curvaceous rear bears hallmarks to other Mitsubishi models.
The interior of this compact MPV tries to follow the tone set by the curvaceous exterior, with flowing lines across the dash to disguise the otherwise sedate dash design.
Being a purpose built MPV too, the Xpander should have enough room to fit seven people in relative comfort, with the third row suitable too for people with lower appendages.
No news on features yet, but the Malaysian Xpander should come with the usual compact MPV conveniences expected from this segment like a touch screen infotainment, multi function steering wheel. The usual safety features like 2 airbags, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, Active Stability Control (ASC), Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Traction Control are also to be expected in this five door people mover.
As for powertrain options, Mitsubishi Malaysia has been mum about the engine and gearbox combination coming here. However a conservative assumption would be that the Malaysian Xpander would feature a 1.5 litre four cylinder petrol engine mated to a well-proven four speed automatic gearbox.
No word yet on the exact launch date of the Xpander, but all is certain that when it does eventually launch, the compact MPV segment is about to get a whole lot more competitive.
More information can be found in the press release below:
Kuala Lumpur, 28 July 2020 –MITSUBISHI MOTORS MALAYSIA (MMM), the official distributor of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in Malaysia, announced that the new Mitsubishi XPANDER, a seven-seater crossover, will be launched in Malaysia this year.
Following the success of the new XPANDER launch in Indonesia, MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION (MMC) rolled out the new XPANDER across the ASEAN region.
The new XPANDER follows the iteration of the ‘Dynamic Shield’ front design concept, which is incorporated in every newly launched Mitsubishi car. The ‘Dynamic Shield’ expresses high performance and a sense of protection for the driver and passengers.
The new XPANDER blends functionality with an adventurous SUV-inspired styling. Its ruggedness and roominess, character and convenience, style and functionality are fused and expanded into this crossover, making it a suitable car for every Malaysian lifestyle.
“The XPANDER is not just an important model for MMM, but across the ASEAN region as well. As of June 2020, the car has reached cumulative sales of around 256,000 units. The success of the XPANDER in our neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam reflects how well-suited this car is to meet the needs of Malaysian customers. MMM is very excited for a thrilling year ahead with the introduction of this impressive seven-seater crossover in Malaysia later this year,” said Tomoyuki Shinnishi, Chief Executive Officer of MMM.
The XPANDER has won multiple awards in ASEAN countries. Some of the prominent awards won were ”2018 Car of the Year” by Otomotif Awards 2018 in Indonesia, ”Philippines 2019 Automobile of the year in the Standard Category” by Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards and “Thailand Car of the Year 2019 and 2020: THE BEST MPV UNDER 1,600 c.c.” by Grand Prix International PLC.
