The 7-seater segment in Thailand is rather small but if buyers in the Land of Smiles are given a choice of what is their desired MPV, it is likely to be the Mitsubishi Xpander.

The Xpander has not moved off the top position of the B-segment MPV market in the country for the entire first half of 2024. With July sales figures recently published by Autolife Thailand, 6,477 units of the Xpander have been sold in Thailand for the first 7 months of the year.

The only other 7-seater that posted 4-figure sales is the Toyota Veloz which saw 2,121 units sold in the same 7-month period. In third is the Hyundai Stargazer which saw 895 units sold between January and July 2024.

The Xpander dominates the B-segment MPV market in Thailand with around 64% market share. It is available in standard and rugged-looking styles as well as a choice of either petrol or hybrid powertrains.

The petrol unit consists of a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre 4A91 engine that makes 105 PS and 141 Nm. The hybrid powerplant combines a 1.6-litre Atkinson cycle engine (95 PS/134 Nm) with a 116 PS/255 Nm front-mounted electric motor.

While other markets including Thailand have offered the facelifted Xpander petrol variants with a CVT-type transmission, the locally assembled (CKD) Xpander in Malaysia is the pre-facelift model hooked to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Still, the Xpander is successful in Malaysia with over 40,000 units sold since its launch in November 2020. It is currently only available in a single variant with prices starting from RM 100,980.

Also read: You thought the Mitsubishi Xpander is no longer relevant? Its sales went up 58% in July 2024