Mitsubishi XPander Teased Again In Upskirt Preview – CKD Assembly In Pahang

Previews and more previews seem to be all the rage with car manufacturers these days. The latest of which is the Mistubishi XPander which has been teased yet again in Mid Valley, this time though in the flesh, and in full production guise.

The Mitsubishi XPander will be on display at Mid Valley Megamall until this Sunday (13th September 2020).

Besides the upskirt tease, Mitsubishi has confirmed that the model will be a locally-assembled (CKD) model and will be the first Mitsubishi model to be built at the company’s new production facility in Pekan, Pahang.

The plant in Pekan comes with an all-new body welding workshop including new welding equipment. The plant will also come with an advanced painting technology including a 360 degree ‘ED-coating’ and robotic spray system, to ensure full coverage of corrosive prevention coating and consistent paint finishing on the XPander’s body. The XPander will also go through an all-new tester line to check for all safety functions including Active Stability Control (ASC) system before its final assembly line and sign-off.

Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, Tomoyuki Shinnishi added, “The XPander is localized to meet the demands of Malaysian customers. It will be priced competitively to cater to families and adventure-seekers who are looking for a more comfortable and practical seven-seater to make their journeys a more pleasant one. Malaysians can expect to place their bookings soon.”

There is no indication of pricing as of now but full-fledged CKD assembly should signal a competitive price tag, close to that of its biggest competitors – the Honda BR-V, Toyota Avanza, and Perodua Aruz – which all reside within then RM72-RM90k bracket.

The XPander is produced in Indonesia at Mitsubishi Motors new plant in Bekasi Prefecture, West Java, and is supplied to other markets such as Thailand since 2018. The XPander has proven to be a successful model for Mitsubishi, selling some 256,000 units across Indonesia, Philippines, Thai and Vietnamese markets since its introduction.

Powering the new XPander is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 105 PS and 141 Nm of torque, paired to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.

Other highlight features of the XPander include Crystal LED position lamps, LED tube taillights and Rear air-cond vents.

The more premium GLS Limited variant in Thailand also comes with leather seats, 4.2-inch TFT display with 3D Animation, and certain Voice command infotainment functions.

Both the fog lamps and LED position lamps are seen on the local unit. The preview unit is also visibly fitted with a reverse camera (just to the side of the bootlid handle), and what resembles a front camera on the lower regions of the bumper.