Mitsubishi 380 - History of Development

History of Development

The development of the DB series Mitsubishi 380 began in 2002, when company executives in Japan gave approval to MMAL to commence work on two closely related vehicles. The first of which was a right-hand drive variant of the ninth generation Mitsubishi Galant, designated the codename PS41. This was to be the replacement for the Magna and Verada. The second, which was planned to be launched in 2007 was a long-wheelbase version known internally as PS41L to be produced in both left- and right-hand drive configurations. However, as Mitsubishi's financial woes worsened, and DaimlerChrysler pulled-out of the DaimlerChrysler-Mitsubishi alliance, PS41L was abandoned in 2004 and the likelihood of PS41 making it into production looked doubtful. Company research conducted in mid-2004 revealed that 84 percent of Australians believed that Mitsubishi would cease production in Australia. To reinstate consumer confidence in the brand, before the launch of the 380, a series of television commercials began airing in December 2004. Centralised around Mitsubishi Australia’s then CEO Tom Phillips, the advertisements promoted the introduction of an industry-first five-year/130,000 kilometre warranty. Mitsubishi reworked a slogan from former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, concluding their commercials with the tagline, "if you can find a better-built, better-backed car anywhere, then buy it".

In total, A$600 million was spent on developing the 380, including $250 million on upgrading the Adelaide production facility to manufacture the vehicle. This included the installation of a new body press, casting the body sides from an individual piece of steel. This has the effect of producing a 0.7 millimetre (0.03 in) size differentiation from body-to-body, compared to the industry standard of 1.0 to 1.5 millimetres (0.04–0.06 in) in 2005.