Mitsubishi Freeca

The Mitsubishi Freeca is a compact MPV and pickup truck designed by Mitsubishi Motors and China Motor Corporation for the Asian market, and built in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines, where it is known as the Mitsubishi Adventure.

Mitsubishi Freeca (VA/VB)
Mitsubishi Freeca (pre-facelift, Taiwan)
Overview
Manufacturer
Also called
  • Mitsubishi Adventure (Philippines)
  • Mitsubishi Kuda (Indonesia)
  • Mitsubishi Jolie (Vietnam)
  • Soueast Freeca (China)
  • Africar Landio/Jockey (South Africa)
Production
  • 1997–2017 (international)
  • 1999–2005 (Indonesia)
Assembly
Body and chassis
Class
Body style
  • 5-door wagon
  • 2-door pickup (Taiwan only)
LayoutFront-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,620 mm (103.1 in)
Length4,320–4,375 mm (170.1–172.2 in)
Width1,650–1,690 mm (65.0–66.5 in)
Height1,800–1,830 mm (70.9–72.0 in)
Curb weight1,445–1,500 kg (3,186–3,307 lb)
Chronology
Successor

Overview

The Mitsubishi Freeca was first released on 11 September 1997,[2] and the 50,000th Adventure was manufactured in the Philippines plant in March 2005.[3] In the Philippines, the Adventure was given major redesigns in 2001 and then 2004, then a minor facelift in late 2009, then a final minor-redesign of the taillights in 2017. Trims include the GLX, GLX SE, GLS Sport, and Super Sport.

The original pre-facelift model continued to be sold in 2006 as the Adventure GX. They were both sold alongside with the facelifted model. It was essentially a stripped down Adventure meant for commercial or fleet use. the "GX" serves as the most basic base-model of the Adventure lineup. Another version of the Adventure GX, called the Adventure TX, was made specifically to be used for taxicabs/UV Express use. Although the TX is seen more of a trim on the Adventure GX rather than another version of the car. Sales ended in 2017, but few remaining units were sold until 2018 in some dealerships.

The vehicle is also known as the Mitsubishi Kuda in Indonesia where it was locally manufactured by PT Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian and marketed by PT Srikandi Diamond Motors until 2005. "Kuda" means horse in Indonesian. It is marketed as the Mitsubishi Jolie in Vietnam. The model name "Freeca" is coined from "free" and "ca", the Taiwanese for vehicle.[2] Badge engineered Taiwanese-made Freecas were also briefly available in the South African market, locally assembled in Cape Town and sold as the Africar Landio and Africar Jockey.[4]

Soueast

From 2001 to 2017, the Freeca was rebadged by the Soueast brand for China.

Conclusion

The last Adventure rolled off the production line on 10 December 2017 at the Greenfield Automotive Park, home to Mitsubishi Motors Philippines manufacturing plant and headquarters in Santa Rosa, Laguna, with Mitsubishi Motors ending production in the Philippine market due to the engine being Euro-2 compliant and some safety issues, effectively ending the 20-year production run. The Xpander, which is built at the Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia manufacturing plant in Bekasi, West Java, was launched in the Philippines on 1 March 2018 as the replacement of the Adventure.

Production

Year Taiwan
(Freeca)
Philippines
(Adventure)
Indonesia
(Kuda)
China
(Freeca)
1997–99 Figures unavailable
2000 17,044 6,729 20,916 1,050
2001 13,531 7,714 4,776 7,350
2002 12,537 7,742 9,669 8,970
2003 11,800 3,921 7,350 12,630
2004 11,359 5,868 5,670 7,458
2005 12,479* 5,876 825 4,163
2006 4,791* 4,560 - 1,911
2007 6,682* 6,033 - 1,650
2008 2,133* 4,570 - 721

* Freeca and Zinger combined production figures

(Sources: Facts & Figures 2000, Facts & Figures 2005, Facts & Figures 2009, Mitsubishi Motors website)

References

  1. Sarne, Vernon (30 May 2013). "Mitsubishi PH president wants new model, more units made in Cainta". Top Gear Philippines. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  2. "China Motor Corporation of Taiwan Launches Freeca", Mitsubishi Motors press release, 11 September 1997
  3. "Mitsubishi celebrates 50,000th Adventure Milestone", Autoindustriya.com, 4 April 2006
  4. "Africar Products". Africar Automobiles. Archived from the original on 31 July 2009.
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