Mitsubishi PH to bring back Versa Van name for new people carrier

After a long hiatus, the Mitsubishi Versa Van is coming back to PH roads

Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corporation (MMPC) surprised us today when they announced that the all-new Destinator will make its debut next month. With a 1.5L turbocharged engine, seating for 7, and a host of amenities & safety features, Destinator will likely serve as a smaller alternative to the likes of the Montero Sport.

But some of you may be asking what happened to the Nissan-based Mitsubishi van the automaker confirmed for the Philippine market earlier this year? Well, there have been new developments, as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) recently released new homologation documents about the upcoming people carrier.

Based on a new LTO Memorandum Circular that was recently released, the Nissan-based Mitsubishi van will carry a familiar nameplate. It will be called the Mitsubishi Versa Van, and it looks like there will be multiple variants of the people carrier once launched. For those not in the know, the Versa Van nameplate was used for the passenger van version of the L300 that MMPC used to sell for decades. It had double sliding doors, a spacious interior, and was powered by the venerable 4D56 diesel engine.

For the new Versa Van, it will be powered by a 2488cc turbo-diesel engine. This somewhat confirms our previous report wherein MMPC was approved to bring a passenger vehicle with a 2488cc engine. From its displacement alone, Nissan's YD25DDti will likely power the Mitsubishi Versa Van. Since the Nissan Urvan also uses the 2.5L YD25DDti turbo-diesel, we can also expect the Versa Van to put out 129 PS and 356 Nm of torque.

Based on the variant listed by the LTO, the Versa Van will be offered in the GLX 2.5D 2WD MT model that's available as a 15-seater van. Size-wise, the Versa Van GLX MT will measure 4710mm long, 1695mm wide, 1999mm tall, and will have a 2555mm wheelbase. It will also have a ground clearance of 195mm and will roll on 15-inch wheels wrapped in 195/80 series tires.

With one of the variants of the Mitsubishi Versa Van already cleared by the LTO, we can expect more models to be approved by the agency in the coming weeks. The only question now is, can we expect the all-new Versa Van to be revealed right after the launch of the Mitsubishi Destinator?