It’s now official: Honda and Mitsubishi have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of a new Honda model based on the Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck.
This marks the first initiative between the two companies for complementary supply to each other’s product lineups. The new Honda model is scheduled to go on sale in the ASEAN market, likely including the Philippines, in 2028.
This marks the second OE supply arrangement bagged by Mitsubishi. The first being Nissan which re-badges the Triton as its next-generation Navara for markets like Australia and New Zealand (Oceana).
Honda and Mitsubishi Motors have been exploring opportunities for collaboration in various areas based on the framework of the strategic partnership which was part of an MOU signed on August 1, 2024, among three companies, including Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
One of the opportunities the three companies have been extensively exploring and discussing from both short- and medium-to-long-term perspectives is the complementary supply of each other’s vehicles. This would enable the three companies to leverage each other’s globally competitive automobile products to quickly and efficiently enhance their respective product lineups aligned to the business environment and customer needs of each company in different regions.
The Mitsubishi Triton, which is the subject of this complementary vehicle supply arrangement, is a one-ton pickup truck built on a robust ladder frame. It is one of Mitsubishi Motors’ global strategic models that is in high demand, particularly in the ASEAN region.
Through this collaboration, Honda will add a pickup truck model to its lineup primarily in the ASEAN market, where it does not currently offer pickup truck models, enabling Honda to enhance its product lineup quickly and efficiently in the market. Meanwhile, this collaboration will enable Mitsubishi Motors to increase production volume and improve capacity utilization at its production plant in Thailand. The two companies reached this agreement after determining that this collaboration would generate synergies for both companies.
Going forward, the three companies will continue to deepen their strategic partnership to further strengthen their competitiveness and ability to meet diverse customer needs while fully utilizing their respective products and technological assets.
I wonder why they didn't go with Isuzu this time, considering their history of supplying vehicles for each other in the past. The Triton is a good pickup but is just so hideous to look at from the front.
ReplyDeleteNissan's navarra, and now honda's. That's nice
ReplyDeleteHonda selling a workhorse pickup? It's like going to an Adidas store to buy steel toe shoes. They don't even want their cars to be used as taxis here in the Philippines, so why would they want to sell a commercial vehicle?
ReplyDeleteTechnically, they've been selling commercial vehicles. Honda does appear in the segment breakdown we see monthly.
DeleteIn the coming months I see Honda making knee-jerk reactions to present realities facing them. This rebadging looks like one of them, though on paper it looks logical. They've been making pseudo- and unibody trucks that the (US) market doesn't consider "true" trucks. Now this sudden 180?
Vehicles such as the Honda CR-V are classified as CVs in the Philippines.
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