Mitsubishi Expander Name No Show As Next-Gen MPV Is Revealed

The 25th GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show scheduled to be held in Jakarta from August 10 through August 20 is the place where Mitsubishi will present its new production people-carrier. The Japanese manufacturer says it will announce its official name at the show and until then it simply calls it the Next-Generation MPV.

The MPV is aimed at people who search for the roominess of classic vans, but like the rugged appearance of modern crossovers and SUVs. The brand says it combines the best of both MPV and SUV worlds, offering "ruggedness and roominess, character and convenience, style and function, all in a bold design that could impress all around the world."

Well, we are not quite impressed by the design, especially by the super busy front end. It is inspired by different Mitsubishi concepts from the recent years, including the XM study, and features three rows of headlights – the LED DLRs are at the top, massive headlights are mounted lower, and the fog lamps are placed very low in the front brush guard. The rear end is more conservatively designed with more conventional shape of the taillights and the bumper.

The three-row interior of the van is created to provide "plenty of room and generous head clearance for all passengers" with "excellent access to the comfortable third-row seats." No further details are available at the moment, but the only interior photo reveals the MPV has a two-tone dashboard and door cards, massive center console with integrated infotainment screen, and a classic instrument cluster.

Power for the model will be provided by a 1.5-liter, 16-valve gasoline engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission, sending power exclusively to the front wheels. Sales are expected to begin shortly after the vehicle's public launch at the Jakarta auto show with prices starting at 189 million Rupiah, or about $14,197 at the current exchange rates.