Probably does, but it's true. Honest.I think about three hundred in total over the next few years.
Mitsubishi wins €10 million Defence Forces contract
Sunday, May 31, 2009 By Elaine O’Regan
The Irish Defence Forces has awarded a major supply contract worth in excess of €10 million to Mitsubishi Motors Ireland. The contract, which was awarded by open tender, will see Mitsubishi supply up to 320 Pajero 4x4 vehicles over four years. The first 80 will be delivered to the Defence Forces by the end of July.
The vehicles will be used primarily for patrol and communications purposes, cash in transit and prisoner escorts, driver training and on overseas peace support operations.
Mitsubishi Motors’ Robert Guy said the deal was hugely important to the Irish-owned company at a difficult time for the car industry in Ireland. ‘‘The market is back 70 per cent and, on the commercial side, it’s even further by 80 per cent,” said Guy.
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‘‘We have always been active in supplying the government, county councils and municipal organisations, but certainly it is more important now than ever.”
Guy said large-scale supply deals, like the Defence Forces contract, had wider benefits for the local economy.
‘‘The vehicles are built in Japan, but an important part of this contract is that a lot of the aftermarket work, the likes of the radio fit-out and vehicle preparation, is done locally in Ireland and that means jobs for local contractors,” he said.
Established in 1984,Mitsubishi Motors is wholly owned by Frank Keane. It employs 44 people and has annual revenues of €70 million. The company has a nationwide network of 31dealers.
Guy said the importer would not be taking delivery of new models until the end of 2010, when a new Lancer 1.8 diesel saloon and hatchback will arrive on Irish forecourts, along with a crossover vehicle to compete with Nissan’s Qashqai.
‘‘Our strategy has always been about customer service and strong dealers and our priority now is for our dealers’ survival. We’ve never had a ‘stack them high and sell them cheap’ philosophy.
‘‘We have new products coming from the end of 2010 and we want to keep the dealers alive for the onslaught of that and for the recovery, which I believe will come from the end of 2010.
‘‘Business is tough, but in the last number of weeks, we’ve started to see a small bit of an upturn. We’re sure that within 18 months we’ll be back to 75,000 units.”
Guy said government measures could help to stabilise the motor industry during a period of unprecedented instability.
‘‘The Vat claw back for dealers for used cars is critical for their cashflow,” he said. ‘‘We also need more joined-up thinking between government policy-making and the industry when it comes to VRT.”
The Irish Defence Forces, which trace their origins to the founding of the Irish Volunteers in 1913,include the Army, the Naval Service, the Air Corps and the Reserve Defence Forces.
According to the most recent available accounts, 1,646 members of the Defence Forces served with 19 different Peace Support Operations and postings in 2007. The total defence budget for the same year topped €1 billion.
Approximately €24.7 million was spent in 2007 under the forces’ ongoing capital programme to modernise and enhance training, operational and living accommodation.
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