Mitsuoka Motor opens showroom in Macau

By
Stephanie Lai

Japanese custom-designed car manufacturer Mitsuoka Motor Co. opened its showroom in Macau yesterday prior to further expansion in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The Toyoma-based manufacturer is offering three models in its Macau showroom; namely, the Himiko, Viewt and Orochi.
The showroom is managed by Mitsuoka Motor Macau, a company set up jointly by Mr. Cheong Weng, owner of local luxury car importer Mok’s Wagen Automobile Co.
Mitsuoka Motor Macau’s target is to sell 12 cars in its debut year of operation in the city, according to a press released published by the Japanese car manufacturer.
Mitsuoka Motor Macau is also responsible for conducting market research work ahead of opening showrooms in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the press statement said.
Mitsuoka Motor’s establishment of sales points here has come at a time when the city’s retail of motor vehicles experienced a decline last year – a fall that follows four years of double-digit increases in auto sales.
Sales of vehicles last year contracted by 1 per cent year-on-year to about MOP4 billion (US$523 million) while auto retail here has declined for the last two quarters in the year.
Following the gaming downturn of recent months, the local government has also recently shed a gloomy outlook on vehicle sales in the city.
Forecasting that there will be fewer transactions of high-priced cars, the government anticipates in its budget plan that it may receive a total of MOP1.19 billion in vehicle tax revenue this yea, nearly 14 per cent less than the originally estimated MOP1.38 billion.
Mitsuoka Motor Mitsuoka Motor, founded in 1968 in Japan, stepped out of its domestic market to establish its first showroom in China in 2009. The automaker, known for its production of retro-style, custom-made cars, sells cars in Mainland China, South Korea, Thailand and the Middle East.
The Japanese automaker now has a showroom for three of its car models – the Himiko, the Viewt and the Orochi.
The Himiko is a two-seater convertible powered by a 2-litre 4-cylinder inline engine, while the Viewt is a 1.2-litre compact four-door sedan.
The Orochi is a two-seater sports car equipped with a 3.3-litre V6 engine.