The new Adventure?

**AlbertB** · December 29th, 2005 08:29 AM

Macs, from the Inside Line of Edmunds.com:

Mitsubishi Lets Loose a Zinger
Date posted: 11-22-2005

TAIPEI — China Motor, Taiwan's local partner of Mitsubishi, has released the first details on a new crossover vehicle. Called the Zinger, it will be available on the local market in December.

China Motor, minority-owned by the Japanese carmaker, is renowned for its unique lineup. It includes a specially tweaked Galant sedan called the Galant Grunder; a locally designed utility vehicle, the Freeca; and a wagon/minivan crossover, the Savrin — not to mention various commercial vehicles. The company has two advantages in that it has a local R&D center and a close connection to China that includes two assembly plants on the mainland.

The Freeca was the first utility vehicle of its kind, but lately it has been trumped by Toyota's Kijang Innova, which is more spacious and offers state-of-the-art technology. So here's the answer: the Zinger crossover utility, which is claimed to be based on a combination of Challenger off-roader and Triton pickup mechanicals. Technical details are still scarce, but it has been announced that this 180.5-inch-long RV will be powered by a 2.4-liter gasoline engine.

The car will go on sale in December. Rumor has it that the Zinger will also be produced in China, probably as early as next year, at the Soueast plant that currently churns out the Freeca, Soveran (local version of Savrin), and Lioncel (a special decontented Lancer).

What this means: Mitsubishi is pulling off an innovation in the compact class of cross-over vehicles. The Zinger may eventually be marketed to our shores and eat up Toyota Innova's current class platform.

More recent info from the Taiwan Headlines <http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=9&recordid=89271>.

Anyone for a wager? Will Mitsu Philippines retire its Adventure and do a la Toyota with the Revo-to-Innova switch?

My bet--second-guessing Mitsu Philippines' conservative marketing moves--is it will maintain the Adventure in the AUV class but only in the low to mid variants and offer the Zinger only in its mid to upper variants to compete in the cross-over RV class.

It all is a question of price stratification and positioning two different vehicle classes to two target markets--one that Toyota does not have anymore after retiring Revo to give way to Innova.

Cheers of the New Year!

**AlbertB** · December 31st, 2005 08:10 AM

Macs,

As a rejoinder, Mitsu Philippines is rumored to start importing the Zinger initially for the Philippine market in 2006. Wait and see (also with the Adventure's offtake) until the market warrants that the plant retools for local Zinger assembly.

**KCboy** · December 31st, 2005 08:27 AM

i hope and pray toyota suffers........i hate them when they know they have a good product and try to milk it dry....kapal pati insurance gusto sa kanila din.!!!!!!gggggRRRRRR!!!!!!!