Mitsubishi ASX was absent from the Russian market for a year and two months. How seriously has the crossover changed over this time?
Not too seriously. IN front bumper now LED running lights, the shape of the grille cells has slightly changed. rear bumper with fake diffuser - new. Plus there was a chrome bar on the fifth door.
Changes in the cabin are noticeable, but there could be more. The eco-leather-trimmed tunnel and steering wheel with glossy inserts and tides for the right grip are great. However, modern multimedia system with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, available from ASX in other markets, has not reached us. Sorry.
The base price tag of 1,099,000 rubles seems attractive enough for a time-tested Japanese-built car. Or is it still not?
The starting price really does not cause protest until you start to go into details and compare with the offers of competitors. It is worth digging deeper and understanding - it becomes sad. For a million, we are offered a front-wheel drive crossover with a 1.6-liter engine and mechanical box gears. No side airbags, no heated seats, no audio system (only an AUX jack and four speakers) and no tailgate curtain.
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For the same money, you can buy a 2-liter front-wheel drive Crete with a gun and all the above options. You can take a very decently packaged Renault Captur(1.6, variator). Ford EcoSport, Suzuki Vitara and SX4 at similar price tag will also be much better equipped. Yes - none of them can boast of a Japanese assembly (Hyundai, Renault and Ford are assembled in Russia, Suzuki - in Hungary). But we are not entirely sure that this is any strong argument in favor of ASX today.
What about the top version with long title Instyle 2.0 CVT AWD? Mitsubishi asks for such a car a little less than one and a half million.
In our opinion, the chances of market success for packaged Mitsubishi ASX are slightly higher. However, without fans of the brand and adherents of the “real Japanese assembly”, the crossover will not be easy. The equipment of the top ASX (2-liter 150-horsepower engine, all-wheel drive transmission, seven airbags, leather interior) is not bad, but the same Nissan Qashqai for comparable money is ready to offer more. For example, panoramic roof and system all-round view. And yet, having a budget of 1.5 million rubles, you can safely look at a larger Mazda crossover CX-5. Great option for those who want to enjoy driving.
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By the way, how are things with the driving pleasure of the Mitsubishi ASX?
Since versions with a 1.6 engine are equipped exclusively with mechanics and are unlikely to be in serious demand, we took a 2-liter 150-horsepower ASX with a CVT to get acquainted. The engine-gearbox ligament is enough for the car in any situation. Acceleration dynamics is enough even for highway overtaking, the response to the accelerator is adequate. In addition to poor sound insulation engine compartment, there are no complaints about the car here.
And yet, if you have something to compare, do not expect driving pleasure. Whether on pavement or dirt, the ASX is sad enough. light steering with a blurry “zero”, and it transmits coating defects in too much detail to the salon. Most competitors ride more interesting and thoroughbred.
Maybe ASX will win back on the roads? Mitsubishi's off-road heritage is bound to leave an imprint even on compact crossover.
Alas, the legacy does not know about its duty. Almost the only off-road ASX trump card is its excellent geometric cross-country ability. The angles of entry (22°) and exit (33°) are two to three degrees greater than those of classmates. And the ground clearance of 185 mm is decent by modern standards. But everything else is bad.
During testing on our proprietary wheel spin roller platforms, the ASX "failed". Center clutch, which transferred part of the torque to rear axle, allowed the crossover to move off the two platforms under the front wheels. But already during an exercise that imitates diagonal hanging (platforms are installed diagonally: under one back and one front wheel), overheated after a 10 second spin. Repeated attempts with the clutch locked and the stabilization system turned off (of course, after the transmission had completely cooled down) were also unsuccessful. To the chagrin of Mitsubishi, almost all all-wheel drive crossovers competitors move off the "diagonal" without any problems.
The updated interior is noticeably nicer than the pre-reform one? Is there a lot of space in the cabin? Is the trunk good?
Changes to the interior are minimal, but they can be written down to the "Japanese" in dignity. The new Outlander steering wheel mentioned above is good. The leather trim of the central tunnel, although not able to create the impression of more expensive car but overall pleasant. For dessert, a USB port moved from the armrest to the lower part of the center console. Cool? Yes. But there are also comments.
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The "leather" that is upholstered in the front seats looks defiantly unnatural. Discrete climate control washers are archaic and inconvenient to use. You have to reach down to the variator selector somewhere. And yes - the USB port has just moved, because there is now a void in the central armrest. For some reason, Mitsubishi decided that one connector for the entire cabin would be enough.
With the profile of the driver's seat and landing geometry, everything is fine. Only very long-legged drivers may lack the length of the seat cushion. But there is little space in the back. The small width of the cabin interferes with the comfort of the three of us. Passengers under 190 cm tall rest their heads against the ceiling, and their knees against the backs of the front seats. At the same time, the doors themselves open at a small angle, and their inner linings are devoid of pockets. In 2010 - when the ASX was born - their absence was considered the norm, but by modern standards - mauvais ton.
Under the floor - a full-size spare tire for casting, a tow hook and a jack.
Under the floor - a full-size spare tire for casting, a tow hook and a jack.
The trunk pleases with a small loading height, but does not impress at all with spaciousness. According to our measurements, it is designed for 264 liters. For comparison, the trunk volume of competitors is as follows: Hyundai Creta- 324 l, Renault Captur - 387 l, Nissan Qashqai - 280 l. Less than the ASX, only the Subaru XV - 220 liters.
What arguments in favor of buying Mitsubishi ASX remain in the bottom line?
Arguments, frankly, are few. To the above Japanese assembly you can add the ability of a 2-liter engine to digest the 92nd gasoline (the Japanese recommend filling the younger 1.6-liter engine with the 95th) and the presence full size spare wheel. If you have other reasons - be sure to tell them in the comments.
Before the crisis, the staff of the plant solemnly opened in 2009, 25 km from Kaluga, numbered about 3,000 people. In total, 546 million euros were invested in its construction and production setup. The owners of the authorized capital of "PSMA Rus" in 320 million euros are the French PSA concern(70%) and Mitsubishi Motor Corporation (30%).
What is collected
But by an evil twist of fate, the French, the main owners of the Kaluga plant, have relied on the assembly of C-segment cars - the very one that the current crisis has crippled most mercilessly. Therefore, at the end of February, on the lines that assemble Peugeot 408 and Citroen C4 sedans (until 2012, as we remember, Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser, and until last year Mitsubishi Pajero Sport), as well as Mitsubishi crossover Outlander had only 1,381 employees. The rest were either given a five-salary notice of redundancy or did not renew their contracts, Yoshia Inamori, deputy general director of PSMA Rus, told us. According to him, if previously there were much more temporarily hired employees in percentage, now the advantage is not in their favor. And since the situation is SUV market little better, the predominantly French conveyor lines were empty.
The consequences of optimization at PSMA Rus are visible to the naked eye in the factory parking lot. If a couple of years ago it was problematic to find a place here, now it is more than enough. On Friday, it is generally deserted here - the management recently announced the transition to a four-day work week while maintaining production in two shifts.
To describe the scale of the disaster, I will give the following statistics: the estimated productivity of the Kaluga plant is 125 thousand cars per year, while in five years - from 2010 to 2015 - only 104 thousand French and Japanese cars. They were assembled mainly by the CKD method (small-knot assembly) from imported parts and kits - more than 77 thousand cars. Since 2012, the plant and adjacent workshops, as well as the forces of contractors (18 companies in total) have gradually mastered the production of bumpers, seats and glass to wiring and tires. According to Inamori-san, according to the signed Decree 166, the enterprise was obliged to increase localization to 20% by the beginning of this year. However, at the moment this figure is already equal to 30% - at this level, taxes on the import of components are reset to zero.
Here, however, there is an important nuance: more than 90% of suppliers from among those that provide PSMA Rus with Russian parts, - foreign companies. It means that the plant is still dependent on imports, which means that it is subject to the detrimental effect of the weak ruble exchange rate.
However, some import substitution is still happening. It applies to leadership positions. In the French direction, only two foreign managers remained - the rest were replaced by Russians. The Japanese assembly line is a bit more complicated, Yoshia Inamori explains. Since the production system here was originally Japanese, 16 specialists were invited to the enterprise, and it is very problematic to replace them for a number of reasons.
How they collect
This was followed by a tour of the conveyor. The production workshops of PSMA Rus consist of three lines - welding, painting and assembly. Moreover, welding and assembly are divided into lines - for the C-segment and SUV. All cars produced in Kaluga are painted on the same line.
The production process begins with the welding of materials coming from the nearby Gestamp-Severstal-Kaluga body parts. Operators pre-weld them manually at control points in order to then transfer them to the line of robots, where, as the factory workers themselves call it, the “dance” takes place. Of the 2,000 welding points, 1,300 are carried out by robots. After the "dance" with the main body panels future car enters the assembly phase hinged parts- doors and hood, then the first quality control takes place. Female operators manually feel the surfaces for scratches or deformations, and the geometry of the body is checked with instruments. If a marriage is detected, the collected is sent for revision.
If everything is in order, the bare body enters the elevator on special carts and goes through the labyrinths to the painting shop. We did not manage to get into it: according to the guides accompanying us, the safety requirements and quality control are too high here. Nevertheless, we learned that out of 20 hours required for the complete assembly cycle of one Outlander, the car spends nine hours in the paint shop, where about 6 kg of various liquids are applied to it. During this time, they manage to not only paint it, but also dry it with subsequent control.
After passing through two laboratories - destructive control and metrology, where the next control of the geometry of the body and the assembly of its panels is carried out, we are sent together with future cars to the assembly shop, where on the territory of 60 thousand square meters. m in one shift involved 150 people. Everything starts with interior decoration- laying wiring and installing interior elements (dashboard, airbags, etc.) and interior trim. By the way, the car doors at this stage are preliminarily dismantled and go to a separate assembly line. Since each part has its own passport, it will return a little later to its original place.
After gradually passing the 400-meter segment and having already acquired external details, such as pendants and exhaust system, Outlander finds itself in the place of the "wedding" - the body is fed from above to the engine waiting for it from below. Toward the end of the conveyor thread, the rear and side windows, seats appear in the cabin, wheels are wound on the hubs. And it all ends with another quality control. At this stage, in particular, the wheel alignment angles are checked, and under a special shower - the tightness of the body. Within two minutes, water is supplied to the car at various angles. If no problems are found, then he goes to the test site, where several kilometers of various coatings await him - crushed stone, comb, artificial bumps, descents and ascents, acceleration and deceleration zone. If assembly flaws surfaced at this stage, the car leaves for the so-called retouching zone, where it is brought to a salable condition.
About 40% of the personnel involved in the assembly Mitsubishi Outlander, - women. Keep this in mind when you want to speak out about “crooked hands” for the sake of a red word.
Will Pajero Sport become "Russian"
Moving from one workshop to another, along the way we find an idle line. Until last year, it collected the retired second Mitsubishi generation Pajero Sport. This summer, its successor is expected in our country, which at first will be imported from a factory in Thailand. The question of whether the assembly of the newcomer in Kaluga will be established is still open. In many ways, the answer will be given by the demand for this rogue. However, be that as it may, the conveyor itself is ready to receive him as a visitor.
Mitsubishi Lancer is a car Japanese company, which is the sixteenth in sales in the world. It has been produced since 1973, but such “experience” does not prevent the model from being popular and in demand. It is sold all over the world, only under different names. For example, until 2008, about six million cars were sold.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the company's engineers decided to re-release the car. And not just once. By the way, before buying a car, many are interested in the place of its production. And in this article we will figure out where the Mitsubishi Lancer is assembled.
Where are the factories that assemble Mitsubishi cars for Russia
As you know, Mitsubishi is a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo. For a long time, Rolf was the main partner for deliveries to Russia. Now almost all cars are distributed by MMS Rus LLC.
So, the factories from which cars are brought to us are located in:
— Japan. The production is called Nagoya Plant, and it is located in the city of Okazaki. This is the most large plant in the world. By the way, more than half of the models are delivered to Russia from here.
The second Japanese enterprise that fills our market is called Mizushima Plant. It is located in the city of Kurashiki;
— America. There is a factory in Illinois called Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. It has changed its name three times in its history. But, since 1991, the Japanese completely bought it. From here, cars are delivered to the markets of the whole world, and Russian ones, in particular;
- Russia. In the city of Kaluga in 2010, a plant called Peugeot Citroën Mitsubishi Automotive Rus was built. The Japanese bought 30% of the shares. The remaining parts are divided between the Peugeot and Citroen concerns.
Mitsubishi Lancer for Russia is assembled exclusively in Japan in the city of Kurashiki. Both regular Lancer and Lancer Evolution are made here. As for the cost of the Japanese model, it is much lower than the "purebred" competitors.
In the domestic market of Japan, the Mitsubishi Lancer is called differently. But, it doesn't change its essence. It is all-wheel drive and safe. Also, regardless of its low landing, it will pass through any terrain without discomfort for the driver.
As for safety, Mitsubishi Lancer was first tested in 1998. Then he received only two stars. It was called incompatible with pedestrians and passengers. But, already in 2009, the model was checked again. She received five out of five points.
In 2009, the car took first place in theft. This observation was based on the payments of the largest Russian insurance company. For the first half of that year, the percentage of theft of the Japanese was 13.6%. But, the statistics did not include uninsured models. Therefore, we will not tell you the exact number.
But according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, this foreign car became the most stolen in 2010 as well.
One of the Japanese company's best flagship sedans is redesigned to fit your needs. Russian market. Mitsubishi Lancer was last updated in 2011. Well, to be precise, the most recent modification was shown a week ago in Los Angeles. But, it has not yet entered the world markets, and it is not known when it will appear in Russia. Therefore, we are considering a 2011 car.
We got it at the end of 2012 and received a redesigned bumper, chrome grille radiator, sports body And excellent sound insulation. A new information and entertainment flat-panel display was installed in the cabin, as well as interesting seat upholstery.
But, the main changes are under the hood. Previously, a 1.5-liter was installed here Gas engine with a capacity of 109 Horse power. Now it also runs on gasoline. But, the displacement has increased to 1.6, and the engine produces 117 horsepower. The transmission can be either manual or automatic.
Previously, the model accelerated to hundreds in 11.6 seconds on the mechanics, and in 14.3 seconds on the machine. Now - the same car reaches hundreds of kilometers per hour in 10.8 and 14 seconds, respectively. Fuel consumption is also pleasantly pleased. It decreased by 0.2 liters in all driving modes.
In the interior, it is worth noting the decorative lining on the doors and the center console. Also, now there are many pockets for small things, in which you can put your phone or necessary items. Well, the seat upholstery is made of practical and wear-resistant leather. You can choose from gray and silver.
The safety of the model has been improved with new brake systems and great airbags. In the first case, the model received a brake pedal, which helps not to crash into anything if the accelerator switch is stuck in the depressed position. The program collects data from all the pedals in the system and automatically analyzes them. In the event that both the brake and the gas are pressed at the same time, the car itself begins to slow down. Thus, the model first slows down the car, and then stops it.
The representative of the main importer of Mitsubishi Lancer in Russia notes that the car is this moment has already broken all possible sales records. As already mentioned, the 2012 updates affected the exterior, interior and technical part car. We can conclude that Japanese engineers have made the model as close as possible to the one that most Russians want to see in their garage.
Reliable and stylish design, powerful power point and thoroughbred Japanese quality- this is exactly what makes Mitsubishi Lancer popular and in demand not only in ours, but also in the world's car showrooms.
Many motorists are interested in where they produce individual ones. For example, a man has a Pajero and he wonders where his brothers are made. In this article, we will see where are produced individual models Mitsubishi.
Where is collected Mitsubishii I— Miev?
This is the first electric car of the Mitsubishi Motors concern. Not so long ago, the car appeared on the territory of Russia. At the moment, this model is assembled exclusively in its homeland - in Japan, at the Mitsushima plant in the city of Kurashiki.
Where is collected Mitsubishii pajero Sport?
Legendary, sold in Russia, has a multinational history.
- Since 1998, the car has been produced exclusively in Japan.
- Since 2004, components from the United States began to be imported to Russia, although production in Japan continued.
- From 2008 to 2012, cars were imported from Thailand.
- From 2013 to 2015, it was produced at a plant near Kaluga.
Like this interesting story this Japanese SUV.
Where is the Mitsubishi Pajero assembled?
Pajero is the dream of millions of motorists around the world. One of the first SUVs that quickly became popular. In 2015, the model turned 25 years old, making it one of the group's oldest models. During this time, the model has experienced 5 updates. Mitsubishii pajero collected in Japan and it good news for true connoisseurs of Japanese technology.
Where is collected Mitsubishii outlander?
From 2012 to 2015, the assembly was carried out in Russia, all at the same plant near Kaluga. The result is the following:
- 2010 - 2012 - Outlanders were assembled in Russia from components from Japan;
- Assembly after 2012 (until 2015) was carried out in Russia;
The Russian assembly is subject to strict quality control. At the moment quality issues Russian assembly was not, although some motorists made comments in the direction of the Kaluga plant.
Where is collected Mitsubishii ASX?
- one of the most popular models in Russia in terms of price / quality ratio. In addition to production in Japan, at the Nagoya plant in Okazaki, the car is produced in the United States at a plant in Illinois. It is difficult to determine which car is more produced in Russia: American or Japanese. Some believe that American-built models are less likely to complain of creaking in the suspension.
Where is collected Mitsubishii Lancer?
It's no secret that this model is one of the best-selling in Russia. Main competitor, Toyota Corolla, is a purebred Japanese, which is assembled at a factory in Japan. On the same conveyor they collect and. The model is supplied to Russia with a small margin, because the direct competitor of the model is a serious obstacle on this price level.
Below is a table of countries where Mitsubishi models are produced.
| Model | Assembly country |
| Japan | |
| Netherlands (since 2003), Japan (until 2008) | |
| Japan | |
Mitsubishi ASX is one of the most popular urban crossovers in the Russian market. Naturally, the issue of assembly is far from the last here, since the owners of cars with “three diamonds” have long been accustomed to assembling in the Land of the Rising Sun. By default, such machines are considered by our compatriots to be an order of magnitude better than those assembled directly in Russia.
Place Mitsubishi assembly ASX
Initially this crossover assembled exclusively in Japan, so all Russian owners of the model could be deservedly proud the highest quality assembly of the car, which became the subject of envy. The assembly took place exclusively in the city of Okazaki, which is located in Aichi Prefecture. It is there that the full-cycle production plant is located, which assembles the Mitsubishi ASX (includes 4 workshops - stamping, welding, painting and assembly - complemented by a huge test track for testing).
But over time the plans Japanese concern have changed. The reason for this is the exchange rate of the national currency (yen), which made it unprofitable to export cars directly from Japan. Already in 2011 there was information about the transfer of production to the facilities Mitsubishi factory Motors in the US, which happened a year later.
Since 2012, all Mitsubishi ASXs intended for sale in the USA, the Old World and Russia have been assembled exclusively in America, at a plant in Normal, Illinois. Initially, it was planned to increase the production volume to 50,000 cars of this model per year, but if sales go uphill, it is possible that this figure will grow to 70,000 copies. It is noteworthy that in order to achieve its goals, the company had to not only invest a lot of money in the reconstruction of the enterprise - about $ 100,000,000, but also remove another model from production in order to free up the conveyor (but there were other reasons as well). It became a sedan Mitsubishi Galant, recently not in demand.
Distinguish American assembly 11 characters per VIN is allowed. In the case of the United States, this is the letter "E", while Japan is represented by the letter "Z".
Build quality
After the announcement of plans to transfer the assembly, it was officially announced that no drop in quality level is expected. Indeed, to doubt the competence of American workers, as well as the level technical equipment factory, no reason. All parts are perfectly matched to each other, painted over, interior panels do not hang out, thread gaps, etc. The strictest quality control reduces the risk of a defective car getting into a car dealership to a minimum.
So there are almost no defects. Some drivers include the following unpleasant moments in this list:
- bad sound insulation;
- metal rattle in the power unit;
- very inconvenient location of the seat heating button;
- actively corroding rims.
But all these moments are either technical features auto, or flaws in the development, or a consequence of operating conditions (Russian "salty" winters), or due to price range auto. But by no means poor quality assemblies.
Naturally, there is a marriage in any production, but we are not talking about any general discovery of such moments.
