It was reported by Nikkei that Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will rebadge sedan cars from Mitsubishi for China and the Asian market. The model chosen will be the Mitsubishi Attrage model built in Mitsubishi’s Thailand plant.
The partnership, expected to be announced soon, will help Fiat to expand in Asia by sourcing cheaper, fuel-efficient cars from Mitsubishi. The company also has minimal presence in this region hence a rebadged Attrage will make an ideal model to penetrate the Chinese and Asian markets.
The Attrage was launched in Malaysia late last year and has appeared in Thailand, India and the Philippine markets. However, the Attrage is not available in Indonesia, Singapore, and some parts of Asia so this could be a brilliant opportunity for FCA to enter the market there. Furthermore, rebadging Mitsubishi cars is not uncommon as proven with, well you know who.
We don’t think it’d be a good idea for FCA to bring the Attrage with a Fiat/Chrysler badge over here, but perhaps FCA has other plans in Malaysia. Just last week, FCA via Jeep announced its re-emergence into the Malaysian market via EON. Having said that, will Alfa Romeo and Fiat, who had a glorious time in Malaysia decades ago, be resurrected as well? Stay tuned!
[Source: Nikkei]
