Mitsubishi Pajero Sport unexpectedly reduced price

After Toyota Fortuner 2017 was officially sold in Vietnam, its direct competitor, the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, immediately reduced its price by 62 - 71 million VND.

Previously, in December 2016, Mitsubishi Vietnam announced the new generation of Pajero Sport at a price of 1.4 billion VND for the 4x2 AT gasoline version and 1.55 billion VND for the 4x4 AT gasoline version.

However, less than 24 hours after Toyota Vietnam officially launched the Fortuner 2017 in the market with 3 versions with prices ranging from 981 million VND to 1.308 billion VND, Mitsubishi immediately announced a new price for the new Pajero Sport. Specifically, the selling price of the Pajero Sport 4x2 AT gasoline engine version decreased by 71 million VND, from 1.4 billion VND to 1.329 billion VND. Meanwhile, the Pajero Sport 4x4 AT version decreased by 62 million VND, down to 1.488 billion VND.

With this discount, if compared to the highest-end version, the selling price of the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is still 180 million VND higher than the Toyota Fortuner 2017. However, if the selling price remains the same as before, the new Pajero Sport will find it difficult to compete with the Fortuner 2017, not to mention the remaining competitors in the segment such as Isuzu mu-X, Ford Everest... Although according to Mitsubishi's announcement, the two versions of the new Pajero Sport sold in Vietnam are both imported from Thailand.

Both versions of the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport share the same 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine, 220 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 285 Nm at 4,000 rpm, combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Mitsubishi has also improved the off-road performance of this model, by adding 4 off-road modes depending on the terrain.

According to Mitsubishi Motor Vietnam, the price reduction for the new Pajero Sport is to thank customers who have pre-ordered this model since December 2016, before it is officially sold in February 2017. The price reduction of the new Pajero Sport imported from Thailand is also not related to the 10% reduction in import tax on cars from ASEAN to Vietnam from January 1, 2017.

However, in fact, in the context of fierce competition in the 7-seat SUV segment, Mitsubishi's announcement of the new Pajero Sport's selling price, then its sudden sharp reduction right after its competitor's launch, is seen as a move to probe the market to come up with a price competition strategy for this model.

According to TNO