‘We want to contribute to a more mobile society’

Osamu Masuko

Speech delivered by Osamu Masuko, President, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. at a press conference at Makati Shangri-La after the ceremonial unveiling of the first Mirage unit under the Comprehesive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program.

Magandang gabi sa lahat. Good evening everyone.

Thank you for taking your time to attend the press conference following the ceremony at Malacañang Palace.

It was an honor to host the launching ceremony of our Mirage G4 in the esteemed presence of President Duterte. The journey was long but worthwhile.

Looking back over Mitsubishi Motors Philippines’ 50-year history, we have overcome many challenges from the political anxiety in the ‘80s which caused many foreign companies to pull out, to the Asian currency crisis in the late ‘90s.

We have never left the Philippines and are proud that Mitsubishi Motors is the longest and largest automotive company to produce in this country.

Today marks another milestone as we become the first automaker to produce locally under the CARS program.

This illustrates our commitment and belief that the Philippine market is promising.

Today, the Philippine population is over 100 million inhabitants. With a birthrate of three children per family, the highest in South East Asia, the population is expected to grow until 2050.

The average age of the population will be amongst the youngest globally.

With the growing political and economic stability, the number of cars per households will grow from less than one in every 10 households.

We believe there is great potential for households to flourish and enjoy a more mobile lifestyle.

As one of the top automakers in this country, we want to contribute to a more mobile society that is not only offering attractive vehicles but ensuring that mobility comes with social responsibility.

With more vehicles on the road, we can anticipate more energy consumption, and its impact to the environment and need to work on how to reduce emissions.

Globally today we face strict fuel economy and gas emission regulations which will become even stricter by 2025 and beyond.

Pursuing environmental technology is no longer an option but a must as each automaker is being challenged on how to manage the diversity of needs across the globe.

The Philippines should be no different, and even more important, to develop a mobile society that is sustainable for our future.

That is why we would like to study jointly with the Philippine government and Department of Environment and Natural Resources on how to lower the environmental impact to society through automotive electrification, utilizing our electric car i-MIEV, the first mass-marketed EV, and our popular plug-in hybrid Outlander.

When the project becomes concrete, we would like to extend the participation to other governmental institutions and research institutions including universities, and electric companies.

We need to bring the best expertise in each field for this project.

We share the same vision as the Philippine government in accelerating the motorization while minimizing the environmental impact—an issue we cannot ignore.

The country can count on us as a reliable partner to help lead the automotive transformation in the Philippines.

Thank you for your attention.

Maraming salamat po.