In response to the soaring raw material prices, Mitsubishi Motors and Mazda have decided to raise the prices of some models sold in Japan by about 3% from this autumn.
It is unusual for domestic manufacturers to raise prices outside of the time of model changes, and there is a possibility that they will spread to other manufacturers.
According to the people concerned, Mitsubishi Motors will raise the prices of its two main SUVs = multipurpose sports vehicles from this autumn in response to the soaring prices of raw materials such as iron and precious metals.
The highest grade model will increase the price by 150,000 yen, or about 3%.
In addition, Mazda will raise the price by about 3% for some sedans and SUVs from this autumn.
Both companies will raise prices at a time when there are no major model changes to improve equipment, and it is unusual for domestic automobile manufacturers to make such price increases in the domestic market where sales competition is fierce.
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association estimates that the rise in raw material prices will push down profits by 2.5 trillion yen from the previous year on an operating income basis for all member companies this year, and costs will rise sharply. It is a form that we decided that we had to pass it on to the price.
Overseas automobile manufacturers are also raising their selling prices in Japan one after another, and there is a possibility that price increases will spread to other domestic manufacturers in the future.