Mitsubishi's local future in the balance
Mitsubishi's future as a local manufacturer looks likely to be settled within the next few hoursAdd this to life's constants. Along with death and taxes, there's also the media speculation that Mitsubishi will close down its manufacturing plant at Tonsley Park, near Adelaide.
Over the last day or so, various media outlets have resumed picking over the not quite dead yet entrails of the Adelaide-based production facility.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) has frequently been on shaky ground in the past and was originally expected to be the local manufacturer most likely to go to full importation -- as long ago as the late 1980s.
Nissan beat Mitsubishi to the punch, closing down production of the Pintara/Skyline and N14 Pulsar at Clayton in Melbourne's south-east during the early 1990s.
The rumours concerning Mitsubishi's local manufacturing viability have persisted, fuelled more recently by the shut-down of the Lonsdale engine plant and successive job cuts at the Tonsley Park car-building facility. Now, the rumours are gathering pace once again with parent company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, believed to be ready to deliver an announcement that the Tonsley Park factory will close.
If MMC chooses to close the local manufacturing facility, it will point to the lacklustre sales of the large 380 sedan built there, not even achieving 11,000 sales last year -- when any car needs to achieve 40,000 units to justify the expense of local production.
If the decision to close Tonsley Park is announced today, it will come, ironically as MMAL is enjoys a significantly improved outlook, thanks to sales of its imported vehicles.
Politicians at both state and federal level are reportedly paying close heed to the goings on inside Mitsubishi. The Age reports that South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, has demanded Mitsubishi honour its agreement to maintain production at Tonsley Park until 2010.
The Federal Industry Minister, Senator Kim Carr, said that he had contacted MMC concerning the future of the plant, but has remained tight-lipped on what was discussed.
Mitsubishi Australia officials declined to comment on the speculation or any future announcements when contacted by The Carsales Network early today.
The Carsales Network will cover the issue in more detail as news comes to hand.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
